Fairytales
by Arayelle Lynn
Summary: Grete made a wish. Now Yuuri must rescue Wolfram before he lost him forever. Yuuram, obviously!
1. Greta's Wish

**DISCLAIMER:** Kyou Kara Maou belonged to Tomo Takabayashi. If it had been mine I would have had Yuri and Wolfram together a looong time ago. sigh Oh, well. And feedback is very welcome, people! ☺

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Actually, I'm a little too late for Valentine's Day but just in time for White Day. So, enjoy!

**FAIRYTALES: GRETA'S WISH**

By Arayelle

"And so, the prince and the princess returned to the castle. And they both lived happily ever after. The end," Wolfram finished, snapping the book close. He looked down at his adopted daughter's beaming face.

"That is the best story among the lot. Thank you for reading it to me, papa," she gushed, giving her blond father a peck in the cheek. She grabbed the book from Wolfram's hand, stood and started spinning around, hugging the book in her arms. "I declare this my favorite story now and forever."

Wolfram chuckled, watching her do one of her cute dances. "Well, it is about time you outgrow those Anissina's adventure books, though I'm not quite sure that these ferry-tails books that Yuuri brought from Earth are what I call the best…" he let himself trailed off, looking at the whole bunch of 'ferry-tails' books lying on the grass. It had taken him five hours to finish reading the volume of ten, not counting the other countless books Yuuri called something that sounded like 'Esoap Fabels' that he had read last night before tucking their daughter to sleep.

"But I love them, papa," Greta protested, gathering all the books. "They make Greta wish that my life is like one of these tales. Princes, princesses, fairy godmothers, stepmothers, enchanted castles."

He smiled at the dreamy look on his daughter's face. He pulled her on his lap and tapped her nose gently with his index finger. "Ahh… but little Greta forget that her life is like these stories. She _is_ a princess living in a castle, remember?"

Greta pouted. "But I'm too young to have a prince of my own. Who will rescue me when I'm in distress."

Wolfram gave her a shocked look. "Why me, of course. I was a prince once, you know. And you can count on me to rescue you whenever you're in distress. After all, who has been rescuing you from one of Gunter's boring lessons?"

"Oh, papa, you're different," she replied, curling her arms around his neck. "You're my prince-papa, you'll always rescue me no matter what. But I want my own prince… no, I want to go on an adventure, kidnapped by an evil sorceress, rooting for my prince charming as he slay the big bad dragon."

"Uh, Greta. There _is_ a law against slaying dragons, remember?" He saw her pouted, so he sighed. "Tell you what. Wait another four or five years, when you're old enough, you'll have a prince charming kneeling before you and rescuing you from the evil long silver-haired Mazoku advisor who refused to give you your 15 minutes break and then he can whisk you off to his enchanted castle, how's that sound?"

"Five years is too long," Greta responded, her pout became more… for lack of better words… pouty. Then an inspiration hit her. "I know. Tonight, I will make a wish under the stars. I will wish for a chance to see a prince, that is daddy Yuuri, rescue a princess, that's you papa, from an evil… bad guy."

Wolfram frowned. "Hmm… that doesn't sound right."

She reconsidered, tapping her cheek with a finger as her brows furrowed in deep thoughts. "Yeah, daddy Yuuri is the Maou and you're a prince." She snapped her fingers. "I know! I'll wish for a chance to see the Maou, that's daddy Yuuri, rescue a Mazoku prince, that's you, from an evil prince of darkness who plans to tear both of you apart, leaving their daughter, me, all broken-hearted."

"That's not what I meant," Wolfram protested but was interrupted by her.

"Oh, no! This won't do," she exclaimed, looking at him over while her tongue made a tsk… tsk… sound.

"What?" he asked, bewildered. He looked at himself, trying to find a stain on his blue uniform or a missing button or something.

"You don't look like a prince at all," she commented as he sputtered over her words. He was wearing his blue uniform, with his sword latched on his belt. He should've looked at least… princely, right? So why did she… "Every princess and prince in the books has crowns." Before he could respond, she snapped her fingers again. "Hey, I know!" she exclaimed, giving her father another quick peck on the cheek. "Wait here, papa," she said, before running off towards a patch of flowers.

Still taken aback, Wolfram was left scratching his head in confusion. That was the weirdest conversation he had ever had with his daughter. He had not expected a simple reading during one of their weekly picnic turned into… this? What was _this_?

Suddenly he groaned. 'Oh, I can't believe that I would be having a conversation like that. I sounded like a… a mother!' Before he could contemplate any further, he heard the sound of excited squeals and saw the guards and maids rushing along the corridor. Instantly, Wolfram realized one thing; the Maou is back!

"Yoo-hoo! Wolfram!" a familiar voice called out. Wolfram turned to see Yuuri jogging towards him. Behind him Wolfram could see Ken Murata talking to Doria, Sangria and Lasagna. Glancing at their daughter, Wolfram waited until Yuuri reached him.

"Food!" Yuuri gasped, picking up what look like a sandwich. He took a bite, munched and swallowed. "It's delicious!" He reached for another.

"You eat as if you hadn't had your lunch," Wolfram commented, offering him a cup of juice so his fiancé would not choke at the rate that he was eating. Yuuri took the offer with a grateful smile and took a deep drink to wash down the food.

"As matter of fact, I hadn't even had breakfast," he told him. Blonde eyebrows raised in a questioning look so he continued. "Mom and dad left yesterday on a vacation. And this morning I woke up late for practice so I was rushing and forgot all about breakfast."

"Are you saying you went to practice without having any breakfast?"

"And lunch. Murata and I came straight here."

"That's insane. Do you know what could've happened if your body gets too weak?"

Yuuri pouted. It reminded Wolfram so much of Greta's pout. "Ano… Wolfram. I was hoping you'd spare me a lecture. I am dying of hunger here, you know."

At that, Wolfram felt his temper dissipated. He handed his fiancé some fruits, seeing that he had completely polished off the sandwiches. "I'll have Sangria and the others prepare an early dinner then," he sighed.

"Thanks, Wolfram. You're a life saver."

"Don't talk with your mouth full. It's disgusting."

"Yes, mom."

Wolfram had wanted to slap Yuuri behind his head but fear that he might've choked the Maou. So, when he saw the items which were abandoned by Greta, he decided to change the subject. "Ano… Yuuri. What's with the books you brought from Earth? What's all this about evil stepmothers, glass slippers, poison apples and a beauty falling over a beast? Don't Earth have better read than flying carpet, swimming girl fish and thumb-sized little girl? Those things don't make sense at all."

"They're fairytales. They're not supposed to make sense. On Earth fairytales are the more appropriate read for kids at Greta's age. Not like the ones she has been reading from Anissina's collection. Some of her work tends to be too… graphic."

Wolfram winced, remembering the many time he had to omit some of Anissina's description that he found not-so-appropriate for their little daughter. Luckily, he and Yuuri would go over the books beforehand and Greta was too absorbed in the story to notice the omission.

Yuuri turned to look at him. "What? You don't like them?"

He shook his head. "They're okay but they sort of gave Greta… ideas," he replied, blushing a little.

Before Yuuri could ask Wolfram for an elaboration, their daughter chose that moment to reappear. "Daddy!" she shouted, throwing herself into Yuuri's arms, knocking the double black onto the grass. "You're back!"

"And you're looking so well, Greta. Did you like the books I left you?" Yuuri asked, as he rightened himself and pulled Greta on his lap.

"Uh…huh," she answered, reaching over to pick up one of the books. "This is my favorite."

Yuuri looked at it. "Oh, Snow White. What a coincidence! It's my mother's favorite too."

"Really?" Greta beamed. "What's your favorite? Papa Wolfram seemed to favor the one with a girl in a red hood and a wolf." Yuuri glanced at Wolfram's red face, nodding to himself. "He did, didn't he?"

"Oh, speaking of papa Wolfram," Greta detached herself from Yuuri's embrace and turned to the other boy. It was then they saw the flower crown in her hand. "I made you this, papa," she said, placing the crown on his head. She looked at him over and nodded in satisfaction. "_Now_ you look like a prince!"

"Hey, wait a minute! Don't I get one of those?" Yuuri teased. Greta shook her head.

"Yours already been kept in the treasury. When you go and rescue papa, you can wear it."

Yuuri gave Wolfram a confused look. "Huh?"

"I told you your ferry-tails are giving her ideas," Wolfram replied from the corner of his lips.

"Oh?" he made a note to ask the other boy later when they were alone.

"Greta!" another voice interrupted them. Ken Murata came over, carrying a paper bag in his hand. His face was all smiles.

"Geika," Greta greeted.

"I have something special for you," said Murata, rummaging through the bag. Greta clapped her hands, jumping in joy. "Ohh… goody! A present," she squealed. Wolfram saw Yuuri sighed and shook his head in dismay.

"Ta-dah!" the Great Sage presented a small box wrapped in pink paper wrapper and a red ribbon. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Yippie! A candy," Greta exclaimed, cradling the gift as if it was the most fragile thing she ever held. She turned to her fathers. "Can I show Grandma?" Yuuri nodded his head while Wolfram looked on in confusion. Clearly, his daughter knew more about what had just happened than he.

"And this is for you, Wolfram," Murata pushed the last box into his hands. The blond prince looked at both double black in confusion. "What's the occasion?" he enquired, suspiciously.

Yuuri sighed. "On Earth, we're currently celebrating Valentine's Day."

"Well, I've heard _that_ a few seconds ago and I hate to be demand and all but would one of you tell me what the heck does that mean?"

Murata's eyes glinted, mischievously. "It's a day where lovers spend with each other, giving presents or take them out to a nice romantic dinner. Usually, the guy would give the girl a box of candy or chocolates or a bouquet of flowers but in Japan, on Valentine's Day it is the girls who'd be giving the candy and chocolate to the guys while the guys would return the gift on White Day."

"What's a White Day?"

"It's a day only celebrated in Japan and some parts in Asia. It's some time in early March, a month after Valentine's Day," Murata explained patiently.

"Oh," Wolfram responded, examining the little box wrapped in red wrapper. It was slightly bigger than Greta's. Suddenly, Murata's words came back to him. Quickly, he turned to Yuuri, grabbing his collar. "And how many did you get from your girl friends? Or were you planning to spend on a romantic dinner with a girl, you cheater? Answer me, or I'll burn you into crisp."

As if expecting this outburst, Yuuri sighed. He pulled himself away from his fiancé. "Chill out, Wolfram. I'm here, aren't I? How am I suppose to be having a romantic dinner with a girl when I'm here?"

"So, you're planning to have a romantic dinner with a girl from this world! You cheater, I oughta…"

Murata watched as the two got into one of their epic argument. As usual, Wolfram von Bielefeld was quick to jump to conclusions while Yuuri failed to say the right words to reassure his fiancé. It was time like these one could see how right they looked with each other. Ahh… if only Yuuri was not so stubborn as to not being blinded by what seemed so obvious.

After a while, Murata decided to break them up. So, he cleared his throat. "You're still here?" the fiery blond spat, seemingly surprised to find the other double black still there, not making his exit like others would whenever he and Yuuri got into their fights.

"You forgot to say thank you," Murata reminded him. "I mean, after all, it is most appropriate after one give you a present."

"Right, thank you. Now scram," the blond prince said, turning for another row with Yuuri when finally Murata's previous words hit him. "Hey, are you giving me a candy because you perceived me as a female?" he turned his burning green eyes towards the Great Sage. Before he could grab the other double black, Yuuri pulled him down.

"Now, now, Wolfram. Calm down. Murata gave everyone a candy. He thought of introducing the tradition here in Shin Makoku." From the tone of Yuuri's voice, Wolfram could tell that he was not so keen on the idea.

"I see," Wolfram nodded to himself. Then he remembered. "Then where's mine?" he turned to Yuuri. "Surely you must give something to me on this day. We are betrothed after all." His face darkened. "Or have you given it to someone else."

Yuuri quickly pushed him off, standing up. "Don't be ridiculous, Wolfram. I'm not planning to celebrate Valentine's Day this year." He straightened his rumpled black uniform.

"Oh, no. You are not skipping out on the tradition," Wolfram said, standing up as well.

"It's an Earth tradition, not Shin Makoku," Yuuri protested.

"It is now. And you are taking me out for dinner tonight."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"This is ridiculous. We are not going out tonight," Yuuri stated, putting his foot down.

"Why not? This day is for lovers, right? And we _are_ engaged. So why not?" Wolfram asked, rolling his eyes.

"Because we're _not_ involved. Because we're _not_ a couple. And finally because we're _not_ in love," Yuuri all but shouted. His words startled Wolfram, halting their argument for a moment. "We're both boys, Wolfram," Yuuri said, in a quiet voice after finally calming down. "It doesn't feel right."

Wolfram nodded. Yuuri's words finally put him in place. "It doesn't feel right for you, Yuuri. Only you," he said, almost inaudible. He took a step back. "If you'll excuse me, I'll have other duties to attend to." He nodded at Murata. "I thank you for the gift, geika. I'll see you both at dinner."

Yuuri and Murata watched as the blond prince made his way towards the stables. Once the fiery Mazoku was out of sight, Yuuri finally let out a long deep breath. He's definitely going to get it that night. "My, that went pretty well, don't you think?" his friend commented.

Yuuri returned Murata's comment with a glare of his own.

**xxxXxx**

Unexpectedly for Yuuri, dinner went smoothly. Whatever tension from the hour before seemed to have been forgotten. Wolfram prompted Yuuri on school and he answered him with the same enthusiasm as when he answered Conrad's prompts on his baseball practice. Then Yuuri would ask Wolfram and Conrad about their recent border patrols before groaning when Gwendal reminded him of the papers to sign the next morning and hearing Gunter's schedule for him for the next two weeks. He had a nice, confusing conversation with Anissina about her latest project, before Cheri decided she had enough and enquired about Yuuri's mother's latest endeavors.

Then that night, after tucking Greta to bed, he and Wolfram had another conversation about his sword and riding practice. And both agreed to see Gunter the next day to see if they could convince the silver haired advisor into sparing Yuuri some time for the lesson with Wolfram as well as the daily quality time with their daughter. It was as if the earlier argument had not taken place. But as he lie down in bed, dousing the fires with a wave of his hand, Wolfram could not stop a single tear from rolling down his cheek.

**xxxXxx**

Meanwhile in the royal chamber of the daughter of the Maou and his fiancé, Princess Greta sat on the bed, looking at the stars decorating the velvet midnight sky and clasped her hands together. Closing her eyes, she made her wish.

And a shooting star flew by.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Ha... ha… was it good? Should I end it here? Review and tell me how much you like it and how much you want me to continue.

Nah, even if you don't tell me, I'll continue anyway. I'm not _that_ cruel.


	2. Yuuri's Love Letter

**DISCLAIMER:** Kyou Kara Maou belonged to Tomo Takabayashi. If it had been mine I would have had Yuri and Wolfram together a looong time ago. sigh Oh, well. And feedback is very welcome, people!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Actually, I'm a little too late for Valentine's Day but just in time for White Day. So, enjoy!

**FAIRYTALES: YUURI'S LOVE LETTER**

By Arayelle

Wolfram eyed the item in his hand critically, bringing it over to the sunlight which streamed through the windows. The item glinted under the light, any flaws were completely non-existent. "There, it's done!" he finally declared, cradling the item as if it was the most precious thing in the world.

It had taken him great pains and time to create it. Not to mention a lot of maryoku. But at last, all the effort, the patience was finally paid off. Looking at its smooth surface and beautiful glitter, he was sure that Yuuri would love it.

Humming a nameless tune to himself, Wolfram placed the item inside a small pink pouch. Staring at it for the thousandth time, he then pocketed the pouch inside his breast pocket, close to his heart. Then, looking at himself in the mirror, he adjusted his uniform and made his way towards the exit. Most likely to find his black haired, black eyed fiancé.

**xxxXxxx**

"Here's the last of the bunch," Gunter grunted, placing an armful of papers ready to be approved and signed. Yuuri took a glance at them before letting out a whine. "Gunter, can't we take a break?"

The silver-haired advisor gave him a sympathetic look. He was about to offer a profuse apology when Wolfram cut him off. "Hennachoko, you should be thankful that aniue has sorted out the more important papers for you to sign. You won't believe how many _he_ has to approve for your sake." The blond mazoku entered the room, with Conrad in tow.

"Don't call me that," Yuuri protested, his eyes seeking for Conrad's support. He absent mindedly rubbed his tired hands. Seeing that, Wolfram walked up to his side and knelt before the maou. "Eh Wolfram, what are you doing?"

Wordlessly, the blonde took his sore hand in his left one. Then his right hand hovered over them, glowing green. Seconds later, the ache subsided. "There, better now?" his fiancé inquired, gently. He was reluctant to release Yuuri's hand so the black-haired did it for him.

Yuuri flexed his hand. "It is better," he admitted. "Thanks, Wolfram."

The blonde shrugged. "It's the least I could do."

Conrad looked on, unwilling to break the rare tender moments the two have but Gunter seemed to have a better idea. "Heika, if you feel up to take a short break, perhaps you'd like to read your mails now."

"Ooh… mails!" Yuuri brushed his hands together as the older mazoku placed a bunch of envelopes onto the table. As Yuuri started to sort through his mails, Conrad saw his little brother patted something in his breast pocket before shaking his head to himself. He watched with no apparent interest as Yuuri read through all his mails.

"Eh, what's this?" Yuuri questioned after pushing aside his 35th invitation to be RSVPed. The other three turned to see a red envelope with a little heart-shaped seal. Yuuri's name was written in a beautiful stroke. "I don't think this is another dinner invitation," he said, glancing at them. "Could it be another fan letter?"

"Why, it's a love letter!" Gunter gushed, putting two and two together.

"What!" the letter was plucked out of Yuuri's grasp before he had the chance to open it. Wolfram broke the seal, huffing. "Nobody send my fiancé a love letter without my saying so," he said. Yuuri bit his tongue from telling the blonde about all the other love letters he had been keeping in the secret compartment of his drawer. He watched as Wolfram took out the letter.

Suddenly, Wolfram coughed as a bit of white powder escaped the piece of paper as he unfolded it. He held the paper away from his nostrils as he tried to ease his irritated lungs. "What was your secret admirer thinking? Choking you to death?"

Yuuri decided to snatch the letter back. He caught a whiff of sweet scent coming from the letter. It was definitely a female admirer. "I don't know, Wolfram. The smell is not so bad," he said as the blonde continued to cough out the particles he had inhaled.

The letter was snatched again, this time by Lady Celi whom none of them saw her enter. "My dearest Maou," she read. "I hope this isn't too forward of me but I can't seemed to be able to forget you."

"What!" Wolfram rasped, his face red from too much coughing. He turned to Yuuri sharply. "Have you been cheating on me?"

Before Yuuri could defend his innocence, Lady Celi continued. "No, we have not officially met, I assure you." Yuuri gave Wolfram an indignant look. "I saw you at the Winter Ball last year and I think you're the most handsome man I've ever seen. I love your shiny black hair, the kindness in your ebony eyes, your smile. When I saw you walked around the ballroom, you took my breath away. I wanted to walk to you, touch you and hold you in my arms but I am sorry to say that courage fled my heart and I am left feeling desolate and empty."

"My dearest Yuuri. I apologized if this letter found you in an inconvenience. I was informed of your engagement to Lord von Bielefeld. Such lucky man. If only things were different. Oh, I'm sorry if this displeased you. I'm trying to express my sincere feelings for you albeit too late. Please remember when you two finally tie the knots, you'll always have my love. Yours forever, Lady Elaine," Lady Celi finished.

"Ooh… what a lovely letter," Gunter said, clasping his hands together. "What a sad, sad girl. She must be feeling deeply disappointed to learn that Yuuri-heika is engaged to the lord…" he stopped himself from saying 'brat' in time to say, "Lord von Bielefeld." He turned to Yuuri. "I supposed a bouquet of flowers and an apology letter is the appropriate reply as usual?"

"What! You mean this happened before?" Wolfram exclaimed, looking at Yuuri and Gunter back and forth. Realizing his little slip, Gunter decided to keep his mouth shut while Yuuri rubbed his temple as a headache made its presence known.

Fortunately for him, Sangria appeared at the exact moment, announcing that lunch was ready. "Thank you, Sangria," Yuuri said, meaning more than the lunch announcement. "Well, let's go before the food gets cold," he said, effectively silencing Wolfram. He stood and walked around the desk to join Conrad, Gunter and Lady Celi at the door. Wolfram started to follow when suddenly he stumbled. He would have fallen embarrassingly face down on the floor if Yuuri had not caught him in time.

"Wolfram! Are you alright?" Concerned pair of black eyes regarded him.

He shook his spinning head, wondering why his feet felt like jelly. 'I must've used a lot more maryoku than I thought,' he reflected to himself before looking up to his fiancé's handsome face. "I'm fine. I just tripped over the rug," he lied, smiling sheepishly. Then noticing the close proximity of their faces, he blushed.

"Well… ahem… if you say so," Yuuri said, releasing him immediately. He ignored the light of disappointment in Wolfram's eyes and continued, "If there's nothing else, we better get going. I'm starving."

Wolfram watched Yuuri left with the others. Once he made sure that strength has returned to his legs, he made to follow them.

**xxxXxxx**

"I can't believe you let me missed breakfast like that," Wolfram said, yawning into his hand. He struggled to catch up with Yuuri's long strides as they made their way towards the study.

"For the fifth and last time, it was not my fault," Yuuri protested, quickening his pace. They were both late for the weekly meeting. "I've tried waking you up early this morning. Greta tried as well. But all you did was mumbling something and fell asleep some more. We thought you were tired so we decided to have our breakfast and bring something up for you. How was I supposed to know that it'll be this hard to wake you up today?"

"Yeah, by drenching me with my breakfast," Wolfram retorted. "Do you know how hard it'll be to get rid of the stains?"

"I tripped, okay. I'm sorry," Yuuri apologized, looking sheepish. "Besides, why should you be concern over something like that? It's not like you'll be the one to do the laundry, right?"

Hearing that, Wolfram halted in the middle of a huge yawn. He grinned mischievously. "Heh, you're right," he agreed, considering this little incident as a chance to assert his long overdue revenge upon the blabbermouths they called royal maids.

"You know I am," Yuuri responded, smiling as another yawn broke from the blonde's lips. He always thought that Wolfram looked cute when he was all sleepy-eyed and dazed. Like a little boy.

The grin faded from Wolfram's face as he stared at Yuuri. Then, looking down at his feet from the sudden feeling of bashfulness, he changed the subject. "Ne, Yuuri. If it isn't any trouble, would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" Before Yuuri could say that they always had dinner together, Wolfram quickly added, "Just the two of us?"

His request took Yuuri completely by surprise.

"Ahem…" a gruff voice interrupted their conversation. The two turned to see four pair of eyes staring at them patiently. It was then they realized that they were standing in front of the meeting room, with its door open!

Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, Yuuri made his way to the head of the table. Wolfram ignored the look the others were throwing at them as he sat himself beside Conrad. For a moment, Yuuri studied the faces of those in the room. Sitting on his right was Murata who was giving him a look akin to a smirk, next to him sat Gunter. The brothers were seated on his left with Gwendal nearest to him followed by Conrad and Wolfram. All of them made up as Yuuri's closest, most trusted advisors.

Gwendal cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Now that Heika and Lord von Bielefeld have _finally_ decided to grace us with their presence, perhaps we should get this meeting going," he suggested, thinking of the piles and piles of report just waiting for him in his office.

Whoops! Gwendal had gone all formal. It could mean that he and Wolfram were in serious trouble. Yuuri cringed at the subtle chastise, giving Wolfram a look that could only be interpreted as 'this is all your fault' in which, the blonde returned with a careless yawn.

"Now, would be good, Heika!" Gwendal barked, breaking the maou's thought to get him to begin the meeting.

"Hai!" Yuuri jumped in attention, just like Gwendal soldiers did, before remembering that he was the KING. Gulping, he tugged at the collar of his uniform before beginning with a "Good morning, everyone."

**xxxXxxx**

Later that day, Yuuri found himself in his room, standing with his arms stretched wide as a middle-aged woman with a measuring tape, extending the tape across his shoulders, arms and around his body. Across the room, stood Lady Celi eyeing the process critically.

"Hahaue, I understand that Yuuri is in need of a new wardrobe and all but why am I being drag into this as well?" Wolfram's voice reminded Yuuri that he was also in there. A young woman was draping some materials onto the blonde's shoulders to determine which fabric went well with the blonde's fair complexion.

"Oh my dear Wolfram, you can't expect to be able to fit in your clothes from last year. Both you and Heika are growing boys. You need your supply of clothes changed every year," Lady Celi explained, shaking her head at the fabric the young seamstress draped over Wolfram's shoulder. "Wrong shade of blue." Then she shook her head. "In fact, I think my son has enough blue. I think something in green would be nice." She nodded at her idea. "Yes, that would be perfect. He has not many of them."

The seamstress glanced at the blonde, particularly his eyes. "Yes, maybe something jade or emerald green. Or a little turquoise."

Wolfram sighed, shifting his tired feet. "Don't I have any say in this matter?"

"Or me?" Yuuri inserted, hoping to request something that is not black.

The three women chorused, "No!" Greta giggled at the look of disappointment on her fathers' faces.

"Though, Heika might have a point," Lady Celi reconsidered. "Maybe we could throw in something colored so he could wear them when he's in disguise. What do you think?" she asked the older seamstress.

The old seamstress glanced at all the black fabrics she had brought with her then at the maou. "That would be wise, my lady," she answered before signaling to Yuuri that she had finished her measurement.

"Great!" Lady Celi clapped her hands together. "And while we're at it, why don't we start planning for the wedding uniforms," she suggested, drawing panicked glances from the two boys. Ignoring their expression, she continued, "I was thinking of something white. Heika never wears white… and I know my darling Wolfram would look great in white."

"But my lady, this would be a royal wedding. The old constitution dictates that the couple should wear the royal color," the older seamstress protested.

Lady Celi waved off the concern. "The constitution is made by the 13th maou. I'm sure we can get Heika to change it as he sees fit. Besides, I'm sure Yuuri-heika would look even better in white."

"I agree, my lady," said the younger seamstress. Being young, she was more than ready for a new change.

"Hahaue!" Wolfram successfully interrupted the women's planning, blushing uncontrollably. He and Yuuri had been trying to gain their attention and after the 17th try, the three women finally turned to him. "I think you're getting way ahead of yourself," he said, quietly.

"That's right," Yuuri supported. "Besides, there isn't going to be a wedding anytime soon. Especially not mine," he added, missing the look of pain on Wolfram's face as he fully addressed the women.

Before they could protest any further, the door swung open to admit the other double black. "I see. This is how you spend your quality time with your fiancé and daughter, huh, Shibuya?"

"Shut up, Murata. And what brings you here?" Yuuri questioned, curiously. "I thought Gunter said I have the day off."

"Relax, Shibuya. It's nothing like that," Murata answered, smiling at the women. "These lovely ladies sent for me. Something about needing a new wardrobe."

Yuuri groaned. "You too, huh?"

"Yup but there is another invitation as well," he said. "You rang, Your Highness," he continued, with an overly exaggerated bow at Greta. The little girl giggled before making her way towards the Great Sage, her arms behind her back.

She looked up at him, shyly. "Actually, I couldn't find you so I sent Dacascos after you."

"And he has found me," Murata said, kneeling before the little girl. "Is there something the matter?" he asked, though the light in eyes reflected that he already knew what this was all about.

"Nothing," Greta answered, pulling her arms to the front. "I just wanted to give you this," she said, opening both her palms to reveal a small box. "Happy White Day, Geika."

Murata smiled. "Why thank you, Greta," he said, wondering where to put this new addition after receiving plenty of them since that morning. Ever since the tradition of Valentine's Day was introduced by him a month earlier, the castle folks had been curious about the White Day tradition, thanks to Wolfram.

Suddenly, another wrapped box appeared on his vision. He looked up and trailed the arms back to a fair face with green eyes and golden hair. "This is my return gift," Wolfram said, grudgingly. His face was turned away but the double black could tell that the blonde was blushing. "Now, we're even."

"Thank _you_, Lord von Bielefeld," he said, then smirked. "And that color looks good on you."

Startled, Wolfram turned to see the fabric sample still draped on his shoulder. With an indignant huff, he quickly snatched it off him only to yelp in pain and dropped the cloth.

"Wolfram! What's wrong?" Yuuri was quick to act, seeing how his friend cradled his hand. Wolfram turned away from him, pushing the offended finger into his mouth and start sucking.

"Wolfram, let me look," Yuuri insisted, pulling the finger free. He held it in his hand as a speck of red started to pour out from a tiny cut. "You're hurt."

The blonde pulled his hand back. "Leave it alone. I just pricked on something from the cloth," he explained, not wanting Yuuri or anyone's pity over something so trivial.

The young seamstress picked up the fabric and examined it. "My apology, Lord von Bielefeld. I accidentally left a pin here when I last work on it."

"Well, make sure there won't be a repeat," Wolfram mumbled, his finger back in his mouth.

Seeing the fatigue in his eyes, Yuuri turned to Lady Celi. "Are we done yet? We promised to go on a picnic with Greta," he asked, as his adopted daughter gave the former maou her best pleading look.

"Oh, go on," Lady Celi gave her permission. "I don't think my darling Wolfram is able to keep on his feet any longer." She did even get to finish her sentence when Yuuri grabbed both Greta and Wolfram's arms and pulled them out of the room before the women decided to change their mind.

**xxxXxxx**

"Daddy Yuuri!" Greta called out, laughing as Yuuri tried unsuccessfully to catch her in his arms. She ducked and spun away to his left, leaving Yuuri stumbling onto a bed of wild flowers, just awakening from the early winter's thaw. Greta laughed, saying something that sounded like "Daddy's too slow," in between her carefree giggles before running off again.

Yuuri sat up, watching his daughter running after some rabbits, also preparing early for spring. Her laughter was music to his ears and Yuuri thought nothing sounded sweeter than the sound of his daughter's laughter.

Then, he spared a glance at the figure which slumped under a tree and his smile faded a little. Barely half an hour after starting their little picnic, Wolfram had excused himself for a quick nap and that had been two hours ago. Now, the sun was already dropping low and the temperature was starting to drop telling them it was time to head back.

Yuuri wondered what Wolfram had been doing to be so easily tired out. He had seen how Wolfram unsuccessfully trying to hide the occasional yawn behind his hand throughout the day. He was also aware how Wolfram seemed to nod off a couple of times during the meeting that morning. Luckily, Conrad had been there to send a kick or two in his way so that Gwendal would not caught him.

Though Wolfram was one of the heaviest sleeper Yuuri had ever met, he also knew the blonde was one of the most alert, especially when he was awake. He would be among the first one, save Conrad and Gwendal, to detect if there was something amiss. And Wolfram had _never_ _ever_ fall asleep during their meetings. It was one of his only opportunity to show Gwendal his good quality. Besides, if there's anyone there who would usually nod off during a meeting, it would've been Yuuri himself.

A crash interrupted him from his reverie. Turning towards its direction, Yuuri saw an old woman and a child climbing down a tilted cart full of fruits. A basket lay tipped over, its contents rolling down the muddy road. Seeing that they were in trouble, Yuuri jogged over.

"Is there anything the matter?" he asked, as the old woman and boy examined their cart. They turned to him, recognizing him immediately.

"Oh, heika. My grandson and I were just on our way to the castle to deliver some food supply as requested. But our cart hit a big rock and now the wheel is pulled off its bolt," the old women answered.

"Then, let's get it fix," a voice from behind him drew their attention. Yuuri turned to see Wolfram shaking off his blue coat and handed it to Greta. He then walked over to the cart to examine the damage.

Yuuri pulled his arm to speak to him. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he whispered to his friend's ear. The blonde nodded. "Yeah, I've been fixing Gisela's cart since forever," he answered, checking the damage. "And this is not so serious. All we need to do is unload the cart and you and I will need to lift the cart long enough for either Greta or the boy to slid the wheel back in," he instructed, turning to the children. "Can I trust you to help?" The two nodded.

It was not as easy as Wolfram described. First they have to unload the fruits and then he and the blonde had to strain themselves lifting the rather heavy cart. Thank god for Mazoku's gifted strength. After Greta and the boy pushed the wheel back in, Wolfram and Yuuri had to knock a peg into a hole in the wood to keep the wheel in place. By the time they were finished, the sun was already down and they were all dirty and cold. So, they decided to ride on the cart together back to the castle.

Wolfram watched as Yuuri expertly guided the horse along the road. It amazed him how it had taken Yuuri just a year to fully master the art of riding so well. It made something inside him warm all of a sudden. Instinctively, his hand reached for the item inside his breast pocket, where it had being kept these past two days. Yuuri's name was just at the tip of his tongue when he shook his head, telling himself, _'this is not the right time' _for the twelfths time that day. He spared a glance at the three occupants sitting behind them, stifling another yawn. He did not know why but he been having trouble in keeping himself awake all day long. Was his maryoku _that_ drained?

"Tired?" he heard Yuuri asked, watching him carefully.

Wolfram knew that he could no longer hide it. He even found his eyes drooping by the gentle lull of the cart moving. So he nodded. "It's been a long day," he responded, resting his head against Yuuri's shoulder. He expected him to pull away and was a little surprise if not glad when Yuuri didn't. So, he allowed his thoughts to wander while keeping his hand close to his heart.

"Wolfram," he jerked when he felt someone shook his shoulder. Blinking bewilderedly, he found that they were already inside the castle grounds. A little disoriented over his momentary lapse, Wolfram watched as Yuuri began to unload the cart with help from the three maids and Conrad, who had mysteriously appeared.

"Here, allow me," he said, taking a basket from the old lady and followed Yuuri towards the kitchen door. They placed the baskets at a corner before returning to the cart and repeat the process a couple of times.

"You know it never fail to amaze me to learn how an apple in Shin Makoku could grow during the winter while everything is supposed to be dead during the season on Earth," Yuuri said, eyeing an apple. 'And not to mention its color too,' he added to himself, never seeing a blue apple before until his arrival in that world.

Wolfram watched him patiently. "Only in the southern region, Yuuri, where its warmer." He leaned heavily against the wall.

Yuuri sighed. "I guess I should have Doria arranged for a temporary stay for the old woman and her grandson. It's much too late for them to be making their journey back."

"Don't worry about that," he said, wearily. "They always stayed the night here every time they made a delivery. It usually took them the whole day to reach the castle so they knew we'll always have a room prepared for them."

"Great!" Yuuri threw the apple at Wolfram, who almost missed it due to his sudden sluggish reflex. "You look beat. You better get to the baths and then dress up for dinner. I'm thinking an early retirement tonight is good for you," he said, taking a bite from the apple he just picked.

Wolfram regarded him as seriously as he could with his worn-out eyes. "You still haven't replied to my invitation," he reminded Yuuri of their conversation earlier that day.

Yuuri gulped. There was definitely no way around the matter. When he had remembered that that day was White Day, he had prayed that Wolfram would not have planned anything for them. But when his friend asked him the question before entering the meeting room, his heart wanted to stop. And when they were interrupted and started to get busy the whole day he had thought that the blonde have forgotten about it and Yuuri was glad because he would not have to hurt his friend by refusing. He had prayed the entire day that Wolfram would not repeat his dinner invitation but now that it was mentioned, Yuuri knew that the day would not end as happily as he thought.

Taking a deep breath, he stared at the shorter male. "Look, Wolfram. You could barely even stand on your feet at this moment, let alone survive through dinner." He cut him off when Wolfram began to protest. "I know you're going to say that you'd be willing to keep yourself awake for my sake but I don't want you to strain yourself any further." He then turned around to join the old woman and her grandson to make sure that they received the best hospitality.

"This isn't about me being tired, isn't?" Wolfram's voice stopped him. "Tell me the truth, Yuuri. If I had been fine now, would you have said yes?" he asked, his eyes burning Yuuri's back.

Yuuri sighed, sparing a glance at Wolfram before turning away. "I'm sorry, Wolfram. I just don't see you that way." He walked out.

Wolfram dropped the hand which had been clutching at his heart. He ignored the item which, at the moment, weighed heavily in his breast pocket. Succumbing at last to his exhaustion, he slumped against the wall, rattling the plates the maids had taken out and laid on the counter on his right. Staring at the apple in his hand, he took an angry bite.

**xxxXxxx**

Yuuri was all smiles when he joined Conrad, his guests and daughter outside. "Wolfram informed me that you'll be spending the night here as always," he said, ruffling his daughter's hair affectionately.

"Yes, Heika," the old woman answered.

"Lasagna already has a room prepared," Doria answered as she and Sangria unload the last of the cargo. Their friend was already on her way back to the kitchen to oversee dinner.

"Thank you for your help, Heika," the old woman said, gratefully. "And please thank Lord von Bielefeld for us."

Before Yuuri could respond, there was a crashing sound coming from the kitchen. Turning, they saw Lasagna dropped her load and ran towards the kitchen. They heard her scream, "Lord von Bielefeld!"

Exchanging looks of apprehension with each other, Yuuri and Conrad ran back towards the kitchen. What they saw nearly stopped their heart.

On the floor, pieces of broken plate lay scattered all over.

On the floor, lay the prone figure of Lord Wolfram von Bielefeld.

Looking more dead than alive.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**A/N:** Eep! Did I just leave you guys with a cliffhanger. Ooh… how I hate when people do things like that. Ha… ha…

Anyway, wow, 14 reviews for just one chapter. This is too much! And for that, you guys deserved an update. Actually I wanted to update my other fic called 'Wings of Destiny' but seeing how much you guys responded to this fic, I feel the need to update quickly. But seriously speaking, I need to get back to 'Wings of Destiny' so fans of that fic would not hunt me down and have me hanged! But I guess plenty of reviews might just give me the extra motivation to speed things up (hint, hint)

I would like to take the opportunity to thank **eclst**, **Yuuram88**, **Howl3**, **CrystalICE1**, **SilentKiller1**, **The Weebles**, **kage77**, **eirina**, **Lethe Albion**, **Midosaki** and **Lorean** for their reviews.

For those who sent me anonymous reviews,

**Pikeebo:** Oh, yes! Wolfram will be avenged… mua…ha…ha…ha… Handsome evil man? We'll see.

**Priestessmykala:** Thank you for reviewing. Hope this story will meet your expectations.

**Miya:** And I hope you'll continue reading too. Thanks for the review.


	3. Wolfram's Slumber

**DISCLAIMER:** Kyou Kara Maou belongs to Tomo Takabayashi. If it had been mine, I would have had Yuri and Wolfram together a lo-o-o-n-g time ago. sigh Oh, well. And feedback is very welcome, people!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I'm so sorry, people. This chapter is long overdue. Four months without an update! But I have valid reasons: 1) I have to prepare for my finals 2) My graduation 3) My little sister's wedding _(which should have been manageable at some level, if not for her own selfish wish to go over budget. Just hope this marriage will last forever coz I don't think I can take the stress any more)_ 4) There was this family problem involving my mom and my stepdad _(also connected to the wedding)_ Ai!

Anyway, like you people are going to read this. You click here for the story, right? So please, enjoy… and don't flame me for my tardiness. And I would like to thank **Harpgo** for beta-ing the chapter. She's been a great help.

**FAIRYTALES: WOLFRAM'S SLUMBER**

By Arayelle

"Gisela!" a panic-stricken voice echoed through the stone hallway. Seeing the familiar black-haired young man running from the other end, Gisela dashed towards him. Dacascos following behind.

"Heika, what's going on?" she inquired. "Dacascos informed me that you need me." Her trained eyes started to examine the young Maou, trying to find the source of his malady.

The Maou shook his disheveled dark head, his eyes wide in distress and breath panting from his run. Never had she seen the usually calm and easy-going king looking so distressed.

Yuuri reached for her arm, starting to tug her with him. "It's not me. It's Wolfram." As he said that, Gisela heard the sound of another pair of running feet coming from the same direction where Yuuri had come from, revealing the sight of Conrad Weller. Like Yuuri, he was also panting from exertion. His face was flushed and sweaty. But what drew her attention was the uncharacteristic look of terror in his brown eyes.

"Gisela…it's Wolfram," Conrad gasped, nodding at the bundle he was carrying in his arms. Broken from her stun, Gisela made her way towards the man and was shocked to find the king's fiancé lying deathly still, wrapped in his brother's brown uniform.

Years of trained instincts kicked in. "My office, now!" she ordered. Without waiting to make sure the others were following, she ran back to the infirmary to prepare her equipment.

They reached the room in record time. Following Gisela's orders, Conrad placed the unconscious blonde onto the bed. After instructing her medical staff to bring warm water, bandages and medical equipment, she turned her attention back to her patient. Gingerly, she placed her hands on the fair porcelain face, taking note of the pallor and the trail of blood running down from his right temple. "What happened?" she asked the two men while, at the same time, trying to rouse the blonde with her maryoku but he remained unresponsive.

"I… I don't know," Yuuri stammered, his breath hitching slightly. He ran shaky fingers through his thick hair. "He… he w… was fine and w… we were talking… and then… there was… th… this crash and… and… then he was… he was… like this…"

Conrad laid a steady hand on his shoulder to calm his king. Yuuri took a deep breath before repeating coherently. "We were talking in the kitchen before I left to meet up with Conrad and the others at the courtyard. Then we heard a crashing sound. We ran back and found him like this."

Gisela nodded then seeing Yuuri's pale complexion, she addressed Conrad. "See to Heika, will you?" she suggested before sparing her undivided attention back to her patient.

"Come, Heika," Conrad said, pulling Yuuri with him. Realizing that he was being taken away from his ailing friend, Yuuri yanked his arm out of the man's grasp.

"What about Wolfram? He might need me here," he protested.

Conrad met his black eyes evenly. "Yuuri, Gisela will need to work on my brother without us being in her way. Besides, there's still Greta you need to worry about."

'Of course, Greta' Yuuri thought. The last time he saw her, his daughter was being held in Sangria's arms. Greta must've been devastated to witness her other father lying unconscious and bleeding on the floor. "Yes, I must find her," he said absently, more to himself than Conrad. His voice was so faint that the older man worried that he was going to collapse himself. Instead, the black-haired Maou braved strong steps out of the room in search for his and Wolfram's daughter.

**xxXxx**

They waited outside the room. It had been two hours and still there was no news. The air was silent and thick with tension. Nobody moved from their spot. Nobody even bothered with the food on the table in the dining hall, now cold and stale from neglect. The servants and guards practically tip-toed around the castle, as if unwilling to be the one to break the silence.

Staring at the closed door, Yuuri kept his arms around the quiet Greta. He was very proud of his little girl. For someone as young as she was, Greta showed a calm and controlled composure that was far beyond her age. As if sensing her father's distress, Greta opted not to shed a single tear and give in to her fears. Instead, she became Yuuri's source of strength. Although to the public eyes, it seemed as though Yuuri was the one holding her upright, it was actually Greta's strong embrace and quiet words whispered in his ears that kept Yuuri from breaking down. Tightening his hold on her, Yuuri buried his face in her dark brown locks while she silently patted her father's back in reassurance.

A hand landed on Yuuri's shoulder. Both of them looked up to Conrad's calm and confident smile. Behind him stood the ever unmovable Gwendal, Lady Celi and her quiet strength and the unusually subdued Gunter, who offered the royal family a smile himself before glancing over at the Daikenja and Anissina, who stood at the other side. Both of them were wearing an unreadable expression.

Suddenly the door before them opened. Yuuri stood from the chair that the servant fetched earlier, keeping Greta close in his arms. They all turned to regard a tired-looking girl with long brown hair. She was one of Gisela's subordinates.

Before any of them could utter a single word, the nurse turned to Gunter. "Lord von Christ, Lady Karbelnikoff, Lady Gisela requests your assistance," she said, quietly. Exchanging glances with Anissina, Gunter pushed himself from the wall and started to follow the young woman into the room.

"Wait! What about Wolfram?" Yuuri stopped her. "Is he going to be okay?" he asked, his voice quivering a little.

The nurse looked at him sympathetically but shook her head. "We don't know that yet, Heika," she answered and quickly closed the door before any of them could stop her again.

Those left in the hallway exchanged worried looks. Never had Gisela ever kept them waiting without news for more than one hour, yet alone two! And what struck them strange was how Gisela refused to allow anyone in, where as she had never minded anyone from watching her work before. Just as long as her patients are stable enough.

Did that mean Wolfram was more hurt than they thought?

**xxXxx**

Once they entered the room, Gunter was struck by the sight of his adopted daughter leaning over Wolfram's prone figure. She looked up and seeing her father, gestured him closer.

"Chichiue," she said brokenly, fatigue was evident in her forest green eyes. "You've got to help me," she continued, keeping her glowing hand atop the blonde's chest.

"What is it, Gisela?" asked Gunter as the other nurses left the bed to give the advisor free access to the patient. Anissina followed silently, taking note of the weariness in the nurses' eyes.

Running a hand along her sweat-streaked forehead, she shrugged. "I don't know what's wrong with him. I've healed the head wound, checked for hidden ones, looked for any other ailments but still nothing. I've tried many times to rouse him but he still won't respond," she explained, calmly though there was desperation and frustration in her voice. Gunter and Anissina looked at each other in confusion but Gisela's next words told them what distressed the physician so.

"I can't reach his soul."

**xxXxx**

An hour later, the door to the infirmary opened. This time Anissina appeared, silently calling them in. Without much hesitation, Yuuri dashed into the room. His steps faltered as he saw the sight of Wolfram lying still on the bed with Gisela and Gunter standing by the bedside. They wore grim looks.

"What?" he asked, lowering Greta from his arms, thinking that his knees could no longer support both of them. As soon as her feet touch the ground, Greta rushed her way to his blonde father's side.

"What news? Is he going to be fine?" he inquired, running his eyes over his sleeping friend for bleeding cuts, which was ridiculous since the only injury Yuuri remembered seeing was the one on Wolfram's forehead. Even that had already been cleaned and healed by Gisela and her staff. There was barely a scar there, except for a pinkish tint indicating healing skin.

"Heika, you might want to sit down for this," Gisela advised, noticing the tremors in his footsteps. Taking her suggestion, Yuuri joined his daughter at the edge of the bed, looking expectantly as Gisela and Gunter.

The rest of Wolfram's family made themselves comfortable. With Lady Celi settled on the only chair in the room, Conrad, Gwendal and Murata remained standing. Their eyes strayed to the bed.

Gisela waited until all of her staff exited the room before she began. "Lord von Bielefeld suffered from minor head wound. That's the only injury he sustained from this incident. I've managed to heal it, as you can see."

"So, he's going to be fine, right?," Yuuri interrupted, his hand unconsciously went over on top of the blonde's. He chuckled. "There's no reason to be so cryptic, Gisela. Hurry up and rouse him. I have a few words to tell him about scaring ten years out of me."

"I can't," Gisela said, drawing everyone's attention. She glanced at her father before continuing. "The head wound is the least of our problems."

"What do you mean?" Lady Celi asked, after being silent the entire time. "What's wrong with my Wolfie?"

She sighed. How she hate being the bringer of bad news. "From what I can discern from his injury, Lord von Bielefeld had hit his head when he fell. But I'm not so concern over the head wound." She paused. "Rather, I'm more concerned about what made him fall in the first place."

"What do you mean, Gisela?" Conrad spoke up. He could not forget the sight of his little brother lying and bleeding on the floor.

"I'm afraid, Lord von Bielefeld has been poisoned."

**xxXxx**

Shock and silence filled the room. Everyone stared at Gisela, each trying to comprehend the possibility of her claim. The silence was broken when Greta whimpered her ailing father's name and buried her head in his chest. Yuuri swallowed the lump in his throat before addressing Gisela. "Explain," was all he managed without risking his voice breaking. He stroked his daughter's head gently to comfort her.

Gisela squared her shoulders, drawing from the core of her heart for a strength that she always reserved for news such as this. Luckily, her father's quiet presence fueled her courage. "After I finished healing him, I ran a routine examination to determine hidden injuries," she reported, surprisingly the words came easily as she went on. "It was then I discovered a strange anomaly in his body. I tried to probe deeper with my maryoku and at the same time trying to call upon his consciousness, to see if there's any damage to his soul." She frowned. "But something seems to be blocking me. I tried harder but every time I did, I was pushed even further out. Since I don't want to risk worsening his condition, I enlisted Lord von Christ and Lady Anissina's assistance and together we determined what is ailing Lord von Bielefeld."

"It is spell," Gunter took over. "It is a spell to poison one's soul."

"A poison spell? That's unheard of," Gwendal protested. Gunter turned to him and shook his head. "Yes, it is unheard of but it exists," he countered. "I don't know much about it but I've read some books mentioning such spells." He looked down at Wolfram. "And judging from his symptoms, I'd say it's a sleeping spell."

Silence reigned the room. The Mazokus looked at each other fearfully. Yuuri watched all of them, confusion evident on his face. "I still don't understand," he admitted. Sleeping spells? Those only existed in fairytales. 'What am I thinking? Everything about this world spells fairytales,' he chastised himself.

Murata took pity on Yuuri's confusion. He was surprised how little the Maou knew about the world he was supposed to rule. "Shibuya, in this world there are two types of mystical powers," he explained, after Gunter gave him a sheepish shrug. Obviously, the advisor-tutor had not gone over this lesson with his friend and now it was time for a crash course.

Seeing that he got his friend's attention, he continued. "One is a natural power that we call majutsu and the other a conjured magic known as houjutsu. Majutsu is a natural talent born in all of the Mazoku race, ranging from elemental powers to healing, transformation, foresight, and others. It is what differentiates a Mazoku from a human. Houjutsu is an artificial magic, which can be conjured up by humans and in some very rare cases, powerful Mazokus. While some humans conjured it through the use of houseki stones, some very powerful ones can use other medium. And those people can sometimes be even more powerful than Mazokus." He paused to allow Yuuri to absorb the information.

"What does this have to do with Wolfram's condition?" his friend asked impatiently. Now was not the time for lessons. He needed to know how to cure his friend.

Murata smiled. He had never seen his friend so agitated. Maybe… he shook off his latest thought, opting to concentrate on the issues at hand. "Houjutsu is something that we sometimes refer to as spells." His hand shot up to dispel Yuuri's questions. "And there are two types of spells in this world. Active spells are one type and passive spells are the other. Active spells can be both offensive and passive, usually used in battles or if you want to cause physical harm to your enemy. Passive spells, though can be offensive or defensive, aim to affect internally such as the mind and soul." He paused. "Do you remember telling me about the humans conjuring up a fire spell to burn a village on the second day you arrived here?"

Yuuri nodded mutedly.

"That is an example of an active spell, used to cause physical damage on people and properties. Remember the time when the dolls kidnapped you and Wolfram?" Getting a wince as an acknowledgement, the Daikenja continued. "That's a passive spell, used not to cause harm to its victim. Sleeping spells belong to this category as are love spells, if you care to know," he added with a mischievous glint in his bespectacled eyes. He then sobered a little. "However, although passive spells are used not to cause physical harm it can often become a catalyst to a more serious damage than active spells." He turned to Wolfram. "Which is why I'm concern about our Lord von Bielefeld here. You say it's a poison spell?" he asked Gunter.

The Mazoku bit his lips, something they had never seen him do unless he was extremely distressed. "I'm not certain but the symptoms point that way. I'll need to refer to my books and find out more."

Murata nodded. Seeing Yuuri's distraught state, he knew that he needed to take charge for now. "Do that. Have the others help you," he suggested, while Conrad and Lady Celi nodded to volunteer. "The rest of us will investigate how the spell is transferred to the lord." He turned to them. "Usually a spell can be cast on anything the victim touch and smells. In some occasion, it can also be in anything he sees or hears. But the easiest and most common way to transfer a spell would be through his food."

"But Wolfram had the same meal as ours. What he ate, we ate, too. Why is it that no one else was poisoned?" Celi pointed out, glancing forlornly at her son.

"The apple!" Yuuri voiced, snapping his fingers. "Before Wolfram collapsed, he had an apple with him."

Gunter blinked. "Oh? And where did the apple came from?"

"From Mrs. Shultz," Conrad answered. "She and her son arrived with the supply as scheduled. Heika, Wolfram and Greta came in with them."

"That's right," Yuuri cut in, nodding vigorously. "There was an accident and Wolfram and I help fixed her cart. We then volunteered to help her unload the supply when Conrad came over." He paused, recalling the incident. "Wolfram and I went to the kitchen together and… I grabbed one of the apples and gave it to him. Since he looked tired, I told him that he should turn in early tonight and… oh kami!" His hand flew to his mouth. His eyes widened. "It's my fault! I gave him the poisoned apple!"

"Now, now, Shibuya. Let's not jump to conclusions yet," Murata reprimanded him gently. "Did any of you see Wolfram eat the apple?"

Conrad's eyebrows furrowed. "I think I remember seeing a half-eaten apple on the floor when I picked him up." Murata nodded.

"Right. And more importantly, did any of you have an apple?" he asked the three.

"I did," Yuuri confessed while Greta nodded her admission. "But why aren't we poisoned too?"

"Because it might not be the apple after all," Murata explained. "At any case, Lord Weller, could you please fetch the apple for us? Lady Karbelnikoff and Gisela will need to run some tests. After that, you may join Lord von Christ and Lady Celi in the library."

"Lord von Voltaire," he turned to the silent Mazoku. "I don't think I have to tell you to keep the household running and tightened the security, right?" he said, knowing the grey-haired Chief-of-State to be the only one who can maintain order best under these circumstances. He then addressed everyone. "I'm returning to the temple to confer with Ulrike, see if she has come across something like this before."

When everyone started to move, Yuuri spoke up. "What about me?" he asked, thinking that he should at least help out.

"You and Greta need to keep an eye on him. Notify any of us if there's any changes." He paused at the door. "And while you're doing that, please try to recall what Lord von Bielefeld had been doing all day."

**xxxXxxx**

While everyone was busy with their designated tasks, Yuuri found himself sitting by the bedside, watching Wolfram's chest rise and fall, the only indication that he was still alive. It was already late. The moonlight poured onto Wolfram's face, making his usual porcelain fair face even paler, almost translucent… bordering a dead body.

Yuuri shook the thoughts away. 'Wolfram is not dead. He's merely sleeping. And we're going to find a way to break the spell and bring him to his usual loud-mouthed self,' he thought, brushing away a loose strand of golden hair tenderly off Wolfram's eyes. Why was it that whenever Wolfram was wide awake and causing a ruckus Yuuri found him to be really annoying but when he was still and quiet, Yuuri felt as if the world was crashing down on him?

The creak of the opening door made him look up to see Sangria coming into the royal chamber. As requested, Gisela had Wolfram transferred into the royal chamber, knowing that the Maou would be staying up to watch over him. She also arranged dinner to be brought up for all of them but judging from the state of the food, the three servants could tell that they were all left untouched.

As Sangria was leaving the room with the uneaten dinner, she nearly collided with a bolt of brown hair. Yuuri looked up to see Greta climbing up onto the bed, bearing a book in her hand.

"Greta, what are you doing up so late?" Yuuri asked as his daughter stared disappointingly at her sleeping father. She half-expected Wolfram to wake up from his slumber by then. "Don't worry, the others are working on a way to heal him. And Wolfram is a fighter. I'm sure he's fighting his best to defeat the spell."

Greta nodded. "I suppose," she said, still unconvinced. Then she slid under the covers, next to Wolfram and opened her book.

"What are you doing, Greta?" Yuuri asked curiously.

"It's Wolfram's favorite, The Little Red Riding Hood," she showed him the book he had brought her from Earth. "I was thinking since Wolfram usually tucks me in and read to me, I should do the same for him." Her eyes glinted hopefully. "Maybe this'll help him wake up."

Yuuri smiled, a little touched by her love for her other father. So, he climbed up the bed and settled in, putting Wolfram between them. "Let's read it together, shall we? Maybe our voices will lead him back to us."

Both of them held the book on Wolfram's chest, as if pretending that they were all reading it together. Settling comfortably on the bed, with Yuuri's chin rested on Wolfram's head and Greta's head on Wolfram's shoulder, they began to read, haltingly. Both were still inarticulate in reading Mazoku characters.

"This is hard," Yuuri paused after a few minutes. He struggled to make sense of a Mazoku word. "Maybe for the next book I'll ask Annisina to leave the Japanese characters alone. Make it bilingual," he said, recalling the red head's newest invention, _Translate-and-Replace-the-Foreign-Language-_kun.

"It doesn't matter if we're not able to make sense of a few words, Daddy," Greta answered wisely. "As long as our voices reach Wolfram-papa."

Yuuri smiled proudly at his daughter. "You're right."

They continued.

**xxxXxxx**

"It is a sleeping spell," Gunter confirmed once they assembled in the royal chamber. He shook his head. "And it's unlike any I've ever read about."

"Same thing here," Murata continued. "Ulrike could not find any other information concerning the spell. Only that it is the strongest sleeping spell she had ever encountered." Due to the emergency, he had brought the priestess to the castle so she could assess Wolfram's condition directly. And like Gisela, she failed to reconnect with Wolfram's soul.

"And there's more bad news," Annisina spoke up. "The apple is clean. No foreign substance can be found. The apple is innocent," she added the last statement to lighten the mood but it failed miserably.

Yuuri tore at his hair. "Then how could the spell be cast on Wolfram? Greta and I have gone over everything we did yesterday and they were basically the same things he did every other day, with us. There's no reason for Wolfram to be the only one affected while Greta and I are fine."

A thought struck Murata then. "The pin!" he snapped his fingers.

"What?" the others looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Yuuri, Greta and Celi exchanged knowing glances as realization hit them as well.

"That's right! Wolfram pricked his finger on a pin yesterday. How could I forget that part?!" Yuuri smacked his forehead.

"Now, now, Shibuya," Murata calmed him. "You weren't exactly yourself yesterday." He turned to the others. "The pin that pricked Wolfram could be laced with a sleeping potion with delayed effects."

Conrad nodded, knowing what the four of them were implying since his subordinate had been the one to lead the tailors in for Yuuri and Wolfram's fitting session. "I'll go with my men and confiscate all their pins." He turned to his mother. "You called the same tailor, right?"

"Yes but we can't be suspecting poor Gretchen and her daughter. They've been our royal tailors since you boys were little," Celi protested in their defense.

"Hahaue, at this point we need to look into all possibilities," Conrad explained. "Besides, it is also possible that the spell caster slipped the poison without them knowing it." With that he gave his mother a reassuring squeeze before exiting.

Murata turned to the others. "Now, we need to discuss our next move."

"Well, as long as we could not identify the poison, I won't be able to create a cure," said Annisina. "I'm not going to be a big help until then."

"There is more than one way to help, Lady Anissina," Murata responded. "We could discuss who would want to hurt Lord von Bielefeld, for instance." He turned to the remaining family member. "Is there anyone with a grudge against him?"

Gwendal's forehead creased. He shook his head. "None I can think of."

"Are you sure, Gwendal?" Yuuri asked since he had only known the blonde for almost two years. Perhaps he had enemies before the two of them met.

"Heika, I know Wolfram can sometimes be annoying, selfish, and loud but for all that, he's led a very sheltered life. Until fifteen years ago, Wolfram had never venture outside the castle grounds save the Bielefeld territory. And those living in the castle have learned long ago to look past his occasional pompous rants. And although he is especially hard on his men, they all secretly love and adore him for who he is."

Yuuri stared at Gwendal in disbelief. What the grey-haired Mazoku said sounded like he was complimenting Wolfram. No wonder Wolfram tried his best to earn his brother's respect. Gwendal was not one to give out compliments so easily.

From the nods he received from Gunter, Anissina, Gisela and of course, Celi, they seemed to agree with Gwendal whole-heartedly, which surprised Yuuri considering Gunter and Anissina to be Wolfram's worst critics.

"Even so, there must be someone out there who has a grudge on the lord," Murata steered them back into the topic. He pushed up his glasses, deep in thought.

"What if it was random?" Gunter suggested, drawing everyone's attention. "I mean an apple? Now a pin? It all seems pretty random to me. Maybe the perpetrator is targeting no one in particular, as long as he or she is a resident of the castle."

"If that is so, then why?" the Daikenja mused. This new point gave him something else to ponder. "Why would the perpetrator do that?" He turned to Gwendal. "Has any demand being made? Maybe the perpetrator has sent word telling us what he or she wants in exchange for the antidote."

Gwendal shook his head. "No word. But I'll go to my office now and see if there's anything as such."

"And I shall return to my lab," Anissina said, joining Gwendal at the door. "I need to prepare my equipment before Conrad returned with the pins."

They watched the two exit before Murata turned his attention back to the remaining occupants. "Now, where were we?"

**xxxXxxx**

It had been another fruitless hour for them. They were unable to list down the possible suspects for two reasons. If Wolfram had been the intended target, they could not figure out who would hate the blonde enough to do it but if the target _was_ random, the list grew too long for there were individuals and nations who still considered Shinn Makoku a threat. Gwendal also informed them that there was no ransom note and Anissina crushed their latest lead by notifying them that the pins were poison-free.

Murata pinched the bridge of his nose. They were back to square one and not progressing anywhere at all. Even his quiet conversation with Shinou failed to come up with anything solid. That, or the former Maou was refusing to clue him in on anything so it will not deter his 'latest plan'. Murata was tempted to believe the latter since there was this strange glint in the perverted former demon king's blue eyes.

"What do we do now?" Celi asked, dejectedly.

The Daikenja sighed. Somehow he had this nagging feeling that they were going about this the wrong way. They were forgetting something important… but what?

As if adding oil to the fire, the door to the study banged open. Dacascos, panting from exertion, bowed unceremoniously at the nobles. "Geika, it's Lord von Bielefeld. He's getting worse!"

As one, they nearly trampled over the poor guard in their stampede and rushed back to the Maou's chamber. There, they were rewarded with the sight of Gisela and Yuuri hunching over Wolfram, feeding him their healing maryoku.

"Wolfram, please wake up," they heard their Maou plead before he noticed them. "Conrad," he called for the man who was always his pillar of strength.

"What happened?" Gunter inquired, joining them.

Gisela sighed, easing off a little and gesturing Yuuri to do the same. "His stat just dropped," she replied. "I don't know what kind of sleeping spell this is but if we don't get Wolfram out of it soon, he's not going to make it."

"You mean, he might sleep forever?" Yuuri clarified, wrapping his arms around Greta.

Gisela shook her head. "No, I mean he's going to die." She let the words sink in before continuing. "I don't know what you're planning to do but it better be fast. This isn't an ordinary sleeping spell. It's killing him."

Murata nodded. "Right." The wheels in his head were turning furiously. "Anissina said the pins are a no-go. Gwendal reported that there was no ransom note so whoever did this is yet to reveal himself. Our only choice is to retrace Lord von Bielefeld's steps."

"But isn't that what we've been doing all day?" Celi pointed out, deeply distraught. The prospect of losing her youngest son yet again was too much.

"No, he's right," Yuuri spoke up with strong conviction. All of them were surprised to hear the strength in his voice. Yuuri looked at them. All the despair and helplessness were gone from his eyes, replaced by firm determination to save his friend. "Our only hope is to find out the exact point Wolfram was poisoned and to do so we have to recall his behavior in great detail for the past few days."

"Spoken like a true king," Murata praised, giving his friend a proud smile. Then he addressed the others. "Let's recall Lord von Bielefeld's behavior. Did you see anything strange about him?"

The others thought long and hard. "Well, he did appear to be sleepy," Gunter pointed out, remembering the times he caught the blond lord yawning.

"He was never a morning person," Celi mused, affectionately brushing her son's golden locks.

Gunter shook his head. "No, what I mean is yesterday he seems sleepier than usual." Gwendal grunted in agreement because both of them had been slightly surprised when the young lord nearly fell asleep during the meeting, a feat Wolfram had _never_ caught himself doing.

"Well, he did oversleep," Yuuri admitted. "Both Greta and I had trouble waking him up that morning."

Murata nodded. "Now we're getting somewhere," he commented. "Did you two have a late night?" his question was asked innocently but Yuuri found himself blushing at the implication.

"No, in fact he turned in quite early that night. He told me how he was tired all day so it didn't bother me when he wasn't there to tuck Greta in and read her bedtime story."

Murata absorbed the information in his head. "So, Lord von Bielefeld had been claiming fatigue since the day before yesterday. That rules out the apple and pin. Did anyone recall what he was doing that made him so tired?"

"According to his duty roster for that day, my brother was doing his usual thing," Conrad answered. "Train his soldiers, exercise his horse, train Yuuri-heika nothing extraneous."

"And the day before?"

"He was fine," Gisela answered. "He was helping me stock some new medical supplies and he hadn't seemed tired then."

"And he was his usual loud self during dinner," Anissina put in, remembering how the brat jumped away when she came over to coerce him into helping her with the latest experiment after she exhausted both Gunter and Gwendal. The two said Mazokus shuddered from the memory.

Murata frowned as he mentally arranged the new information chronologically. "Hmm… it seems to me three nights ago, Lord von Bielefeld had been doing fine until the next day when some of us had seen and heard him complaining to be tired. So something must've happened to him between the night before and that night, two days ago."

Conrad thought hard. "Well, I don't recall him being tired in the earlier part of the day though now that you mentioned it, he did get strangely tired as the day end."

"That narrows it down. So what had he been doing by the end of the day?" Murata prompted.

"He was waiting for Heika for their late lunch," Gunter said, recalling the day clearly now. "I had told him to wait out of the room until after Heika finished his work but he interrupted anyway. And Heika's poor hand was so sore that I decided to get his fan mail to cheer him up."

"The love letter!" Yuuri snapped his fingers, standing. "I'm sure it's the letter."

The others looked at him, puzzled. "Yes, the letter was lovely, Heika," Gunter agreed, nodding to himself.

"No, Gunter. Don't you remember the love letter?" Yuuri practically shook the Mazoku's shoulders. "I was about to open it when Wolfram snatched it from me and opened it. Then he started coughing, complaining how the sender was trying to choke me to death with the strong perfume." He paused. "Then after that, I caught Wolfram when he stumbled. He said that the carpet tripped him but it could be from the effect of the perfume!"

Conrad nodded. "And right after, Wolfram did look a little tired than usual."

"Bingo!" Murata cried. "Where's the letter?"

"It's in the box where I put the rest of Heika's love letters," Gunter answered, then realizing what the two double black were implying, he quickly ran out of the room to get the box.

Suddenly Yuuri sat back, a sudden comprehension hit him. "Oh, Kami! If that letter _was_ the cause of this, it means…"

"The target intended was _you_."

The others watched Yuuri's reaction in silence. They, too, came to the same conclusion the minute Gunter mentioned the letter was for Yuuri.

Gunter must have run at the speed of light because before any of them could offer the soukoku a little comfort, he rushed inside with a box in his hands. "Here it is!" he announced, riffling through the box for that particular letter. When he found it, he handed the letter to the Daikenja.

Only to have the letter burst into flames!

The lavender-haired advisor yelped and released the burning paper. The others gasped in shock while Murata watched the letter turned brown and crumpled into ashes as it hit the floor. The green fire that engulfed the paper was enough to tell him that the letter had been enchanted.

"What does this mean?" Celi whispered, her eyes glued on the charred remains.

"It means we have no way of finding out what sort of spell had been used," Gunter answered when he finally found his voice.

"And no way to get a sample of the poison, which means there's no way I could create an antidote," Anissina added, glancing sorrowfully at the unconscious blond.

Celi buried her face in Conrad's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. Gwendal stared in shocked silence at his brother while Gisela sought Gunter's comforting embrace. After the events with Soushu and the boxes, they had not expected to see a time when they could only watch one of them fade away. And to see it so soon!

"But there must be a way. We can't give up now," Yuuri protested, his grip on Wolfram's hand tightened. "I will not let it end like this. There must be some way to break the spell."

"Perhaps… if you kiss him," a timid voice answered him. Everyone turned to the owner of the voice to see Greta curled up in her knees, speaking for the first time.

"What was that, Greta?" Murata asked, gently.

Seeing that smile gave Greta the courage to join what she deemed to be the 'Adult Discussion'. "Perhaps if Yuuri-daddy kisses Wolfram-papa… just like in Sleeping Beauty…" she repeated a little louder.

Everyone was taken aback. Murata's glasses glinted. 'Ahh… so Greta was referring to one of her fairytales,' he thought. 'It's highly unlikely but hell, the whole thing sounded too much like a fairytale. Besides, this should be… interesting.'

"Go ahead, Shibuya," he encouraged his friend.

Yuuri looked at Murata as if he had grown an extra head. "Wh… what! A kiss isn't going to make him better."

"But Wolfram-papa loves you, Daddy," Greta pleaded, hugging her knees even tighter. "He told me that you're his true love, and he could never love another as much as he loves you."

"Yeah, Shibuya. Don't you ever learn anything from what you read?" Murata added, mischievously. "After all, a true love's kiss is what it takes to wake up a slumbering princess."

Yuuri gave him a murderous glare. "That was a _princess_, Murata, Wolfram's a prince," he pointed out. "And I don't swing that way."

His friend sighed. "We won't know until we try, right?" he reminded the Maou, getting a little tired of hearing Yuuri's routine argument of 'not-being-gay'.

Yuuri was about to refuse the offer flat out when suddenly a tiny whimper drew his attention. He turned to see Greta in verge of tears, holding one of Wolfram's pale hands to her chest. Yuuri looked at the other occupants of the room only to see them giving him a hopeful look. They were all begging him to do something.

After a while, Yuuri sighed and relented. He sent Murata another murderous look before bending over Wolfram. He hesitated, feeling the warmth on his cheeks at the thought of kissing Wolfram, in front of everyone too! Then deciding to not prolong his moment of humiliation, Yuuri made a quick peck on Wolfram's soft lips and moved away, fighting to keep his churning stomach still.

They waited, watching with deep anticipation for any changes. They watched Wolfram's chest rise and fall as he drew shallow breaths. They watched his pale eyelids and slightly parted lips, hoping to see at least a twitch to indicate that the slumbering prince was finally waking.

But there was none.

And all of them breathed a disappointed sigh.

"See! I told you it wouldn't work," Yuuri said to Murata, though he too had been hoping that Wolfram would wake up from his kiss and was deeply disappointed by the lack of result.

"Then, there is no hope," Celi was the one to voice their fears. "My little baby is going to die." Her green eyes started to glisten with tears. Gwendal gathered her in his arms to comfort her.

Lips quivering, Greta buried her face in Yuuri's chest. "Who could've done this to Wolfram-papa?"

"That would be me." A new voice drew their attention. Conrad and Gwendal quickly reached for their scabbards as a shadowy figure materialized through the wall in the darker corner of the room. Taking a step forward, the two brothers and Gunter shielded their love ones from this unknown enemy.

The voice continued. "Though, there appeared to be a slight miscalculation in its implementation." A man appeared. He was beautiful, breath-taking in fact. His skin was fair and flawless, his lips was full and pink. His eyes were the colors of winter night and his hair, strangely, was as white as snow and hung loosely below his waist. If he had not spoken earlier, Yuuri would have mistaken him as a beautiful young lady. Though the low cut on his white robe, which revealed a well-sculpted hairless _male_ chest, should have given the young Maou enough clue.

"Who are you?" Gwendal demanded, his sword glinted under the orange glow of the setting sun. "Are you responsible for this?"

The newcomer regarded Gwendal for a second before a smile broke his face. "Von Voltaire, yes, the family resemblance is uncanny." He turned to the other two. "And so are you, son of Weller and von Christ." He chuckled to himself. "So the rumors are true. All the old faces have been reborn and the boxes, I take it, are useless, correct?"

"Who are you?" This came from Murata, who stepped out from behind Gunter.

The intruder bowed. "And the Daikenja. You look much better now than when you were a sniveling little girl." This he said with a hint of contempt in his voice. Then as if remembering his manners, he continued. "Forgive me, my lords and ladies, I am Marcus Stormnight. And I am happy to say that I am responsible for _that_," he said, pointing towards the sleeping prince.

"Then you know how to undo the spell," Yuuri said, coming over but was held back by Murata before he could get near. "Please, release him. It's me you want, right?"

"I don't think so, _heika_," their visitor pronounced the title mockingly. "Yes, you were my initial target but now that I think about it, I could not have planned it better myself." He smiled sadistically.

"But why?" Yuuri began before Gwendal and Conrad, with a nod to each other, started their attack. However, with a wave of his hand, the stranger threw the two hard into the wall, knocking them out. That left Gunter, their only line of defense.

"The House of Voltaire and Weller should've known better than to challenge me again," Marcus spat, this time his beautiful face contorted in anger. Celi cried out and ran towards her fallen sons. He turned to Gunter. "And you, von Christ, are to be put down as well." With that he threw the lavender-haired man towards Anissina and they both crumpled on the floor in a heap. Gisela scrambled to help her father but an invisible force sent her flying into the wardrobe. She landed with a painful cry.

"And you, _Daikenja_," he addressed Murata, tasting the word as if it was the vilest thing he ever uttered. "It gives me the extreme pleasure to do this." A gust of air shot towards Murata.

"Stop it!" a string of water intercepted the bolt, sending it crashing through the window. The only ones left standing, Murata, Greta and Celi, turned to see Yuuri, in his Maou form, glaring at the stranger.

"Finally, the infamous Maou has graced us with his presence," Marcus smirked, undeterred by the dangerous look the Maou was directing at him.

"You came here _uninvited_, you poisoned Wolfram and now you hurt the people I care about. You will pay dearly for your transgressions," the Maou growled, his aura grew brighter and angrier with every words. The water dragons tossed around more aggressively in preparation to deliver the next blow. "Judgment!" The dragons blasted at Marcus.

Only he was not where he was supposed to be!

A strangled scream drew their attention behind them. To their horror, Marcus was holding Wolfram against his chest while his other hand held Greta by her throat.

"Daddy!" Greta cried weakly, her toes barely touching the surface of the bed. The sorcerer was crushing her throat and in less than a few seconds she was going to lose consciousness.

"Marcus! Release them!" The Maou demanded, his aura going crazy in response to his strong emotions.

Instead Marcus looked at Wolfram then at Greta, contemplatively. "I wonder who is more important to His _Esteemed_ Majesty. His precious human daughter…" Greta squeaked as he pressed harder. "Or his bratty fiancé from the House of Bielefeld." He held Wolfram even tighter in his embrace. Greta continued clawing at the hand which was cutting off her air supply but each struggle became weaker by the seconds and the sorcerer smiled at the girl's predicament.

"Don't!" This time the Maou said in Yuuri's voice. The Maou's aura receding back to reveal Yuuri's regular form. "Please, release them," he pleaded, falling onto his knees. His eyes never left Greta and Wolfram.

"Shibuya!" Murata warned but was ignored by both.

The sorcerer sighed. "Very well, as much as I love to see the outcome of _this_ little game, this isn't the one I'm playing," he said, tossing Greta towards Yuuri. The black-haired monarch caught the little girl and the impact sent them crashing to the floor. Yuuri held his frightened daughter as she struggled to regain her breath.

"Why are you doing this? What have we ever done to you?" Yuuri asked, exhaustively. A flash of lightning lit the dimming room.

Marcus stared at the people in the room one by one before addressing Yuuri. "Revenge is served better when it is cold, don't you think so, heika?" he glanced at the windows, where a storm was brewing quickly.

"What are you…" Yuuri began but was cut off by the sorcerer.

"Listen to me carefully, _heika_. You have seven days to save Lord von Bielefeld from his impending doom." He paused. "Oh, yes. Six days now since you've wasted a day parading your stupidity. At sunset on the sixth day if you failed, the little lord brat will die. And to make the game all the more interesting…" He lifted Wolfram in his arms to carry him.

"Wait! Where are you taking Wolfram?" Yuuri asked, his free hand reached out for his friend but Marcus pulled away.

"Figure that out yourself, _heika_." With that, he vanished.

Taking Wolfram with him.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Review replies:** Cruel place to leave you people, right? I'm sorry, my muse just fled and left me hanging like this. Bad, bad muse. Hopefully she'll return quickly before I start shopping around for a new one ;-)

Anyway, this is the part where I reply the anonymous reviews.

**eirina:** Beg no more! Here's the next chapter. Let me assure you, there will be no third party in Yuuri and Wolfram relationship (wait, do they even HAVE a relationship?) About Wolfram's gift, you'll find it out in chapter 4. It's going to play a big role!

**A.L:** Yeah, I feel sad writing about how Yuuri rejected Wolfram. But that's how the story goes.

**schoolgirl:** You're not the only one.

**neko-chan:** Thanks for reviewing

**stephanie roesch:** Thanks for the review. Yup, I'm hoping to put in as many fairytale elements as I can. Not just Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.

**Priestessmykala:** Thank you. Here's more.

**kage77:** Thanks. I'm glad you're planning to stick on, regardless of the delayed update.

**Miya:** Thank you. In that case, I'll keep typing.

**lazy fat kitsune:** Ne, you don't have to pull out your hair. You might get bald! ;-) Thanks for the review.

Thanks for the reviews, guys and girls. It's very overwhelming to see how many of you actually reading this fic. I'm just so sorry for the delay. That's why I wrote a longer chapter. Hopefully, it'll make up to all the waiting. I will try to not let it happen again. Also, thanks to those who put this fic in their favorite lists and C2s. Till next time!


	4. Greta's Prayer

**DISCLAIMER:** Kyou Kara Maou belonged to Tomo Takabayashi. If it had been mine I would have had Yuri and Wolfram together a looong time ago. *sigh* Oh, well. And feedback is very welcome, people!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Sorry for the broken promises. I said many times that I would update and I did not. I thought it'd be easy to replace my old laptop. But apparently, I'm much too picky when buying one… and the fact that I had to get used to Windows 7 operating system and the new Microsoft Word didn't help either. Hopefully, this longer chapter will make up for it. Gomen ne.

**WARNING:** This chapter is not beta-ed. I just thought I shouldn't delay and prolonged your suffering by waiting some more.

**FAIRYTALES: GRETA'S PRAYER**

By Arayelle

They were unusually silent that night as they sat around the dinner table, staring dejectedly at the food. Like last night, they had a late dinner but this time instead of having it alone in their respective rooms, they felt the need to eat together for comfort.

Yuuri glanced around the table. None of them seemed to be in the mood for a small talk, even Celi whose eyes glistened with tears over her youngest son's predicament. Luckily, Conrad and Gwendal were spared from any serious injuries. The first thing both brothers had done after regaining consciousness was gathering their men to increase the castle's security before they were pulled into the dining hall by their mother.

Gunter, Anissina and Gisela survived the attack mostly unscathed although the green-haired medic did complain of soreness on her left shoulder where it had impacted on the wardrobe a little too hard. But it was nothing her healing ability can't handle.

Yuuri, Murata and Celi, the only ones who were not harmed, were the ones who contacted Gisela's staff and informed the castle's head guard of the latest assault. Of all, Greta was the most affected, being choked and then watching helplessly as her other father was abducted easily right before their very eyes. She was absent from dinner, resting in her room with Gisela keeping the upset little girl company.

This brought Yuuri back to the present. They had all agreed to assemble at the dining hall not only to eat but mainly to discuss their next move.

"We can't do anything until we know just who Marcus Stormnight is and what he has against Lord von Bielefeld," Gunter said after Murata finished filling in the gaps while they were unconscious.

"Well, technically, Lord von Bielefeld isn't the intended target," Anissina corrected. "This Marcus person admitted that he has mistakenly poisoned Wolfram."

"So, does this mean he has a personal grudge against Yuuri-heika?" Celi wondered, forcing herself not to think of her son's unknown fate.

Gwendal shook his head. "No. Not heika specifically," he said before Yuuri could even protest. "From the way he recognized our Houses, I'd say his main target is the kingdom itself. Heika, or rather Wolfram at the moment, is just the means."

Gunter nodded in agreement. It was obvious that Gwendal had been doing some serious thinking. "He must've targeted Yuuri-heika because he thought that would create chaos within Shin Makoku and the neighbouring countries." Then he looked puzzled. "But if that is so, why would he think that Wolfram's accident is more profitable?"

"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it," Conrad advised. "I'm more interested in knowing _who_ Marcus Stormnight really is," he said, thinking that his older brother was onto something.

A sudden inspiration hit Yuuri. He turned his head towards Gwendal. "Could he be an old enemy?"

That brought everyone's attention. While Gwendal kept his face impassive, Celi, Anissina and Gunter exchanged surprise glances. "I mean, when you think about it, this Marcus person, he didn't exactly recognize you as individuals but rather which family you're from. It's like he knew your ancestors or something," Yuuri continued, the wheel in his head turning furiously to make sense of everything.

Gwendal nodded. That's exactly what I'm thinking. I don't know about any of you but I certainly don't recognize that sorcerer."

"I don't think I ever met him before until this evening," Gunter confirmed.

"Me either," Conrad contributed, while the other shook their heads.

"So, if he's really an old enemy," Yuuri mused. "The only person who might've recognized him would be…" as he said these words, everyone turned their heads towards the only person who had been silent the whole time. "Murata."

The daikenja looked up, obviously broken from his deep thoughts. Seeing that he was at the center of attention, he squared his shoulders and laced his fingers together. "Right, yes, I do recognize the name," he joined in, without missing a beat.

The others blinked, taken aback by the double black's casual admission. "Y… you do?" Yuuri questioned.

Murata nodded. "It was only a few numbers of times that I was reincarnated as a girl. Now with the information conveniently supplied by our visitor, I managed to recall a certain Mazoku noble who lived during the time of the 9th Maou's reign. At the time, he was known by the name Marcus von Hausen, later known as Marcus Stormnight."

"Von Hausen," Gunter repeated, sifting through his memories. "I don't recall a noble house by that name."

"That's because the line had been eradicate from existence."

"What?" everyone chorused. "What happened?" Anissina prompted, curiously.

Murata frowned, studying their faces one by one carefully. Once he was satisfied, he said, "What I'm about to tell you must stay in this room, swear it."

The others exchanged surprised glances, taken aback by his sudden stern demeanor. Usually when the daikenja got serious, he would still maintain an air of humor in his manner. But now, they could detect nothing of the sort. Murata Ken was serious, dead serious.

After getting a collective nod from the occupants of the room, Murata sighed. He took off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose before putting them on again.

"The von Hausen was one of Shin Makoku's most powerful families since Shinou's reign," Murata began, raking his mind for deeply buried memories. "Though they're not warriors like the von Voltaires, von Grantzs and von Bielefelds, they were Shin Makoku's greatest minds. They were fellow scientists and researchers like the von Karbelnikoffs and von Wincotts except their researches regard in maryoku and houjutsu. And it was through their researches that we Mazokus finally have a lot more understanding over our abilities."

Murata paused. "It was during the reign of the 7th Maou, the heir to the von Hausen's House, Adolf von Hausen was born. I don't really know much about him since I was reincarnated much later but I was told that he was the most brilliant scientist Shin Makoku ever had."

"His research uncovered a way for Mazokus to be able to use their powers in the human lands. Of course, his research had put his life in jeopardy because the humans did not appreciate what he had accomplished. It nearly plunged the world back into the second Great War but luckily, the current Maou stepped in and ceased Adolf's research."

"But Adolf von Hausen was a driven Mazoku. Since he was banned from his prior research, he began another research but this time on houseki stones. He was determined to eliminate the affects of the stones on Mazokus. Again, the humans protested against this but Adolf managed to defend his case before the Maou. As a result, his research was allowed to continue and as a precaution, he was relocated to the Ivory Palace, the von Hausen's most secluded summer home deep in the Northern woods."

Murata's tone grew grim. "A few hundred years later, something happened. News started to spread among the locals about some mysterious disappearances in the Northern realm. Some said that the dragons had returned to their savage ways. Some said an ancient evil had been awakened and was feeding on the locals. And there was a rumor that the residents of the Ivory Palace were responsible for it. To make the matter worse, the kingdom lost all contact with the villages surrounding the palace grounds and any attempt to contact the von Hausens living in the area proved fruitless."

"So Helga von Bielefeld, the 7th Maou, sent a team to investigate the strange disappearances. The team arrived at the first village only to discover that it was void of life. They went to the next village and the village after that and discovered that they had all suffered the same fate. Thinking that a plague might be responsible, the team made their way to the Ivory Palace to find any survivors. Instead they found something else entirely." Murata paused for an effect.

The others drew their breaths and leaned forward in suspense. "What did they find?" Yuuri whispered. If the matter had not been serious, Murata would have laughed. They all looked as if they were exchanging horror stories over a campfire. And the look on their faces mirrored one of Greta's when she was listening to one of Wolfram's bedtime stories.

"Geika?" Gunter broke through Murata's thoughts. So, the daikenja banished the image in his head and continued.

"They discovered Adolf von Hausen bending over the mutilated body of a young Mazoku on a surgery bed, with a scalpel in his hand. It was then they discovered the 'hidden' experiments in his research."

Murata paused, watching everyone's shocked look. So, he decided to tread carefully since this was Shin Makoku's darkest and most sensitive history. "Apparently, to learn more about the houseki affect on a Mazoku, he decided that he need to learn even more about Maryoku. And to do that he needed to understand more about Mazoku's anatomy in which case he needed life subjects. And while in his first research he had plenty of volunteers, his latest research won him less test subjects because of the after-affects the Mazokus suffered from the experiments."

"Desperate for volunteers, Adolf opted to kidnapping. His first victims had been children but when he discovered that they had insufficient amount of Maryoku, he targeted the adults instead especially those who had made a pact with the elements. He took them from their beds during the nights, using hypnosis as to not alert people. He even created a series of rumors of an awakening evil just to divert the people's attention. And once he managed to clear everyone in the village, he would move to the next one."

"Even his kinsmen were not spared. In fact, they were among the first victims, having strong majutsu themselves. All residents of the Ivory Palace, except a selected few servants, fell under Adolf's madness. In the end, he was tried before the Maou and the council. He was stripped off his title and privileges and to be locked up deep in Blood Pledge Castle's dungeons. However, the head of von Hausen's family, Adolf's father pleaded for his return to the von Hausen territory where he would receive treatment for his mental illness."

"Over the years, Adolf received the best treatment from the best healers in Shin Makoku. It was safe to say that he was beginning to show improvements every time the Maou sent his own healers to make assessments. He had seemingly given up his obsession in research and rather spent his time reading in the family study or tutoring his young cousins. He became friendly and at peace with himself. One can always find him helping out the servants around the household. Everyone who was wary of him before then, started to love him as the heir to the family's head. And before long, Adolf was allowed to rejoin the society although his movements were restricted inside the von Hausen territory."

Murata's glasses glinted, hinting that the story was getting to the worse part. "However, they were all deceived. Adolf not only managed to hide his obsession well but he managed to coax one of his younger cousins to take up his previous experiment in secret."

"Then one day, the kingdom lost all contact with the von Hausen." Murata continued. "A pigeon messenger arrived at the office of the newly-appointed Maou, Pter von Wincott, about some strange business at the von Hausen's castle. So the Maou sent his general, Victor von Bielefeld, to investigate the matter. And I think we could guess what they discovered," he said to his captivated audience.

The others exchanged another shocked look. Lady Celi's lips trembled as she said, "Are you saying..." she could not continue as the image appeared in her head.

Murata nodded. "Yes but this time Adolf did not even bother to hide it anymore. As soon as the general and his men arrived at the castle ground, they were immediately greeted with the sight of a huge pit filled with the discarded bodies of the von Hausen household. The whole von Hausen family, from the eldest to the newborns, became victims under Adolf's mad experiments."

"And when the general tried to arrest the mad von Hausen, Adolf revealed the fruits of his labor." Murata stopped at that and studied his audience's reaction.

"Well, what is it?" Yuuri demanded, clearly more than a little shocked over Shin Makoku's hidden history.

"A troop of undead soldiers."

"What!" the others chorused.

"B… but how?"

Murata shrugged. "It was obvious that Adolf's experiments in houjutsu had diverted to something even more horrifying. That shows how mad and dangerous he had become."

"But to go to such length…" Lady Celi trailed off.

"Anyway, Adolf used his undead army to fight against the general's soldiers who were barricading the von Hausen's castle. According to witnesses, he was gleefully watching the entire battle, determined to demonstrate the power he created himself."

"However, there was one flaw that Adolf did not anticipate. One that the general immediately discovered and used."

Anissina leaned forward. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

"Fire."

"Eh?" the others blinked at the same time.

Anissina nodded. "Made sense."

"What made sense?" Yuuri asked, while Conrad and Gwendal shared a look of comprehension.

"Since the general is from the von Bielefeld family, his soldiers would mainly consist of fire wielders. So it made sense that they cremated the undead soldiers," Anissina explained.

"And thus destroyed Adolf's undead soldiers," Murata finished.

Yuuri's lips parted with an 'oh' before scratching his head. "Yeah, that made sense."

"Anyway, as the general and his men stormed into the castle, Adolf took this chance to trap them and burn down the castle. He feared that they would get their hands on his research and as revenge for foiling his plans, he wanted to take them down with him. However, at the last moment, a little Mazoku child appeared and showed them the way through a secret passageway. This child introduced himself later as the last of the von Hausen, Marcus von Hausen."

There was a collective gasps coming from his audience. "That's…" Yuuri began.

"Yes, the very same Marcus von Hausen who now calls himself as Marcus Stormnight."

"What happened next?" Anissina prodded. She always liked a good story. Perhaps this would be a great start for a new novel!

"The general and his men later returned to the capital with the traumatic child. There, he was forced to relive the whole nightmare before the council and the Maou. He told them how Adolf fooled them by setting up a private family banquet, how he cleverly drugged practically the whole castle residents and locked them up in the dungeon. Marcus himself had been ill and missed the banquet. However, he managed to hide himself in the secret passageway when Adolf instructed his helpers to go look for any of the family members that he had missed."

"For weeks, Marcus was the sole witness to his family's torture. He could only watch as his parents were subjected to Adolf's ruthless experiments. He was there when everyone he knew were turned into mindless, moving corpses. He waited, keeping himself well-hidden for help to come. He watched from his hiding place as the von Bielefeld general and his men fought and destroyed all remnants of his family. And only when they were trapped in the castle, he finally left his hiding place and saved all of them from the impending doom."

"And that was how the von Hausen line was eradicate," Murata explained, glancing at his captivated listeners. "The tragedy was so horrifying that the Maou forbid anyone from mentioning it. The von Hausen territory was left alone and become part of the Northern Woodlands and little Marcus was adopted by the Maou. To disassociate himself from the accursed family, Marcus dropped the family name and became just plain Marcus for the years to come."

"Marcus grew up to be intelligent and curious as is his family traits. However, he shied away from doing any research pertaining majutsu or houjutsu and delved deep into medical studies. He befriended His Majesty Pter von Wincott's nephew, Prince Dietrich and became best friends."

"Marcus and Dietrich were inseparable. They were like brothers. Although Dietrich was completely different from Marcus, him being active and more interested in swordplay and chasing skirts, they both understand each other perfectly. That is, until Dietrich was selected to be the next Maou and was arranged to marry Constanza von Spitzberg."

Murata pushed up his glasses. "Things went downhill from there, for Marcus and Constanza were secretly in love. They were already planning to reveal their relationship and ask for her parents' consent. But Shinou's arrangement was a hard blow to both of them. They tried discussing the matter with the new Maou and the von Spitzberg family. But the von Spitzbergs never liked the accursed von Hausen line and preferred their daughter to be crowned queen. And Dietrich could not help the couple for even if he was the Maou, he was powerless against Shinou's decision and the pressure from the council members. Plus, he was also in love with Constanza."

"In the end, the couple was forced to separate and the royal wedding took place. While Dietrich and Constanza continued their life as king and queen, Marcus faded back, shunned and deeply hurt. After a while, the council began to talk. It was said that it was Marcus's presence in the royal castle that interfere with the royal couple to consummate. That he had put Constanza under his throes so that she would not want to consummate with anyone but him. So secretly, plans were made to cast Marcus out of the castle. The Maou's advisors tried talking Dietrich into sending his best friend away but when that failed, they planned another approach."

"Meanwhile, Marcus and Constanza continued to see each other secretly. But one day, Constanza decided to put an end to their love affair for she was beginning to fall for Dietrich. Marcus was devastated. He tried to convince her otherwise but she was adamant. She even revealed her wish to give Dietrich an heir."

"But Marcus refused to back down. So, he returned to the von Hausen's territory and stayed there for a few years. There, he began to drabble into the forbidden research his uncle Adolf started. He knew exactly where Adolf hid his notes, having watched the Mazoku every day."

"Meanwhile, Constanza and Dietrich were finally gifted with an heir. With the birth of the young prince, Constanza fell more and more in love with her husband and was starting to forget Marcus. However, the last von Hausen would not let himself be so easily forgotten. As the kingdom was celebrating the prince's eleventh birthday, Marcus returned to Blood Pledge Castle with his undead armies. A battle ensued and Dietrich was forced to barricade his people inside the castle walls. That night Marcus, using a spell, broke into the castle. He snuck into the royal chamber and found Constanza asleep. He used a forbidden spell on her, convincing her to bed with him."

"When Dietrich walked into the room, Marcus was already done. Enraged, Dietrich attacked Marcus but his former best friend was too powerful. Even outnumbered, Marcus managed to drive Dietrich and his generals at bay."

Murata's glasses glinted and a shrewd smile played at the corner of his lips. "Luckily, one of Dietrich's trusted advisors, a little girl, came and laid out a plan to defeat Marcus. After a fierce battle, Marcus fell under Dietrich's sword and his army of undead was destroyed. Marcus was tried and stripped off his power so he could no longer summon his maryoku to utilize Adolf's research. But before he was sent away, he sneered at Dietrich for allowing him the chance to defile his wife. And sure enough, Marcus's actions destroyed the royal couple because none of them were able to forget what Marcus did. Although Dietrich and Constanza never separated, they were never happy till the end of their days."

"And so, that's the story of the von Hausens. Since the family name is tainted by the actions of two men, their histories were erased from the ancient texts and the line was forbidden to be mentioned again lest someone would dig up the family history and search for Adolf's research," Murata concluded, pushing his glasses up.

Gwendal nodded. "That surely takes care of the motive."

"But what doesn't make sense is how he is able to live for so long?" Gunter wondered. "This Marcus von Hausen is able to live through the 9th Maou's reign up to the 27th Maou. That's way too long even for a Mazoku. Longer than Ulrike."

"Maybe he's some sort of a clone," Yuuri suggested. At the blank look everyone gave him, he sighed. "Of course, if things such as those existed here… I doubt even Shinou understood the concept."

"Oh, he understands alright," Murata defended the former Maou, grinning mischievously. "Only he hasn't figure out how to adopt the knowledge yet."

At the confused look everyone gave the two soukoku, Conrad added, "It's an Earth sci-fi thing." The others nodded with an 'oh' though their faces still betrayed their puzzlement. Anissina made a mental note to ask the Maou more about the 'Earth sci-fi thing'.

"Anyway, we now know the who and why," Gwendal steered the conversation away from the things he had no comprehension of. "But what about where? Where would Marcus took my little brother?" He turned Murata. "Where did Dietrich exile Marcus to?"

"He was sent to a remote human land in the East," the daikenja answered, rising up from his seat to study the world map that hung on the wall. "If I remember correctly, he was sent to a small island right… here!" He pointed at a tiny speck of ink, a little far away from the mainland.

To Yuuri's surprise, all Mazoku in the room paled visibly. "Wh…what is it?" he inquired, looking at Conrad uncomprehendingly.

"Th… that's…" Lady Celi trembled, spinning around to bury her face on Gwendal's strong chest.

Murata nodded. "Yes, he was sent there. The Dead Isle."

Yuuri watched their reaction. As the name of the island was uttered, the Mazokus shuddered, even the strong and steady Gwendal and Conrad. Each of them wore a grievous and anxious look, wondering about the youngest noble's fate after being brought to a place such as that. How were they going to rescue Wolfram when the mere mention of the island's name made their blood run cold?

"If he took Wolfram there, then I will go to the island," Yuuri suddenly declared. His strong, resolute voice broke through their fears and anxiety. They watched as their beloved Maou stared determinedly at the map, particularly at the tiny spot. "I will go there and save Wolfram from that necromancer _and_ break the spell," he turned his gaze to address his audience. "Who's with me?"

For a split second, the Mazokus exchanged glances. Then Conrad knelt before the Maou and said, "I told you from the first day you were born that I will follow you everywhere you go."

"Don't forget me," Gunter raised his hand. "Ooh… to be able to go on an adventure with heika and see his magnificence as he slew the wretched evil sorcerer…" He nosebleed from the exaggerated image in his mind.

Gwendal put a hand to steady the lavender-haired advisor from collapsing. "I'll be going too. He is after all my little brother."

"Hey, don't count me out," a voice came from the window. They watched when a red-haired man jumped into the dining room and landed with a mock salute. "After all, I'm the one with the information." He glanced at Murata. "And that's a very informative recount, geika. You've certainly filled in a few gaps in my theories."

Yuuri nearly pounced on the man. "You have information? What is it? Did you see them? Are they really on the island? Yozak!" He shook the older man.

"Hey, calm down, kid," he said as Yuuri ceased shaking his collar. "I actually came because of the strange sightings over the Eastern harbors." He nodded at Gwendal, who sent him there in the first place. "I had no idea what happened to His Blonde Excellency until I overheard you people discussing it."

"Well, if your information has something to do with Wolfram's disappearance, spill it," Yuuri demanded. Yozak rubbed the back of his head dubiously.

"I don't really know if this is related but…"

"Heika?" He was interrupted by a soft and timid voice.

Yuuri snapped at the three maids, who appeared at the door. "What?!"

The three maids yelped. Never had their Maou raise his voice like that. He was usually soft-spoken, kind and considerate. Maybe the young lord's disappearance was starting to affect the soukoku?

Quickly, Yuuri readjusted his tone. "What is it?" he rephrased gently, as not to scare off the hardworking girls. One of them, Doria, was pushed forward by the other two. She seemed to be hiding her hands behind her back.

"Uh… pl…please forgive our intrusion, h… heika," she stammered, inching forward cautiously. When Yuuri gave her an almost patient nod, she relaxed. "I was cleaning up Wolfram-kaka's room. When I was picking up his laundry, something dropped out of his pocket."

She showed him a small velvet pouch. Yuuri reached dumbly for the pouch, not knowing what to do with it. Exchanging curious glances with the Conrad and the others, he opened the pouch and pulled out a glass pendant.

Seeing the pendant, Lady Celi gasped. Everyone watched as she made her way slowly to the young monarch and examined the glittering necklace, her hands shaking. "Lady Celi?" Yuuri asked the former maou, who obviously recognized the jewelry.

Celi looked up to meet Yuuri's face. Her emerald green eyes glistened, reminding Yuuri painfully of Wolfram's own green orbs. "Heika, it… it was supposed to be a gift," she answered, her lips quivering.

"What?" Yuuri looked at her, uncomprehendingly.

"He was supposed to give it to you two days ago. Why didn't he?" she wondered, lost in thoughts and perhaps in memories as well.

"Hahaue," Conrad called, gently resting a hand on his obviously distraught mother. "Please explain."

Lady Celi returned the glass pendant to Yuuri. "It was Wolfram's return gift to Yuuri-heika. He was so excited about it. But why hadn't he given it to you?"

Yuuri stared at her, still dumb-founded. "Return gift? I didn't give him any gift that requires a return," he said, raking his memory for something that he forgotten. The last time he gave the blonde a present was during his birthday party. But his friend had given him a specially carved silver dagger for his own birthday, which he used as a letter opener. So, what drove Wolfram to buy him a return gift?

When he heard a smacking sound, his eyes turned to Murata who had slap his palm to his forehead. His friend's face showed his disappointment. When the black orbs stared into his own ebony eyes, everything clicked into place. 'Uh oh.'

"Err… Murata. Was there any chance that White Day was a couple of days ago?"

His earth companion nodded.

Only one word was appropriate enough to sum up the whole situation. And it came out from Yuuri's supposedly untainted lips.

"Shit!"

**xxxXxxx**

Ken Murata knew, from the moment he stepped out of the dining room, someone would chase after him. Judging from the sound of clacking footsteps upon stone corridor told him that it was Conrad. And that he was not alone.

"Geika," the half Mazoku called, after they were far enough from the dining room. Murata stopped, allowing both men to catch up with him. He turned to regard Lady Celi's sons.

"Gentlemen," he nodded.

Sir Weller's brown eyes met his. "Forgive us, geika. I'm sure you're tired and wish to retire but we would like to clear a few things."

Murata gave the polite man a smile. "Actually, I expected you to follow me out. So, what can I do for you?"

"How far would he be willing to go to stop us from finding them?" Gwendal asked straight to the point, his tactical mind working overtime.

He considered his answer carefully, knowing the mazoku general was contemplating over the size of the rescue team. Sighing, he answered. "I don't know. The truth is, I don't really know Marcus von Hausen personally. Remember, I was just a little girl at the time." He took a deep breath. "The only people Marcus ever cared about were Constanza and Dietrich. When they betrayed him… well… let's say he has nothing else to lose."

"So, I deduce that he will do _anything_ to make sure he has his revenge."

Gwendal nodded his forehead creasing.

"You know, Lord von Christ asked a very good question back there," the ever silent Yozak appeared from the shadows. "How is it that he's still alive?"

"Not only alive but he hasn't even aged," Murata wondered, stroking his chin. "He looked the same as the Mazoku we banished years ago."

A sudden inspiration hit Conrad right then. He turned to the daikenja, his eyes widened. "We're dealing with an immortal, aren't we?"

The other two stared at both of them, shocked. Murata mulled over Conrad's words before answering. "I can't find any evidence to dispute that. Perhaps he had continued his family research while living on the island. Perhaps he has found immortality."

"Right and now we had just allow our brother to be taken by a mad Mazoku who sacrifice lives for the sake of science," Gwendal growled, finally betraying his fear for his brother.

"A mad scientist with a lifelong grudge against the entire kingdom," Yozak helpfully put in. He put up his hands in self-defense when the older brother glared at him.

"No, not grudge against the kingdom per se. Just the noble families who shunned him. Especially the von Wincotts and von Spitzbergs." At their confused look, he elaborated. "Think about it. If we'd lost our Maou, it would be the hardest, most embarrassing slap-in-the-face to the nobles, revealing our own inability to protect our one and only sovereign."

"But Yuuri isn't the one who got poisoned. In fact, he seemed more than pleased that it had been Wolfram instead," Conrad pointed out.

Murata stared at his friend's godfather. "Sir Weller, we must not forget that as much as Wofram is a von Bielefeld, he is also a von Spitzberg, Constanza's descendent."

He continued. "And not only that, it's also possible that Marcus von Hausen wants to take his revenge on me as well."

The three looked at each other, baffled. "Why is that, geika?" Yozak enquired.

"Because I was that little girl who helped Dietrich to defeat him. And the one who advised Dietrich to erase the name von Hausen from history. And… the one who suggested that he should be banished to the Dead Isle."

Murata allowed the revelation to sink in before saying, "I believe you'll want to call the others on a short meeting in your office, Lord von Voltaire. I'd suggest immediately because we will need the remaining night's rest before some of us set out tomorrow."

With that, Gwendal led Murata and Conrad to his office while Yozak went to find those remaining in the dining hall.

**xxxXxxx**

Yuuri stared at the gift, cradling it gingerly in his hands. The glass pendant was unusual but familiar at the same time. It was tear-shaped, similar to the one Conrad gave him. But that was where the similarity ended.

Unlike Conrad's blue crystal pendant, this one was as black as night. Like black onyx gem on Earth. However, this strange black stone seemed to reflect many colorful lights when Yuuri held it up in the moonlight. It glittered clearly as if it was part of the stars on the black velvet night.

"It's a rouku crystal," Lady Celi explained, after observing his reaction for a long time. Both of them were the only ones left in the dining room, others having retired for the night.

"Rouku crystal?" Yuuri repeated, letting the words rolled in his tongue.

She nodded. "It's a rare gem, only found in the Bielefeld territory. It is priceless for its beauty and shaping process." At Yuuri's blank look, she elaborated, "You see, rouku crystal is a very rare stone and very difficult to shape. Only a fire-wielder Mazoku can truly polished a rouku crystal to its perfection. And even that required great control and a large amount of maryoku."

"It is said that when one give one's lover a rouku crystal, it symbolizes his love and devotion to his partner. Especially if he's the one who found and shaped the crystal." She then reached for Yuuri's hand and held up the pendant to the moonlight. "When you held it up at night, the pendant would reflect the stars. This symbolizes the strength of his love that reaches the heavens."

Lady Celi turned to look at Yuuri. "But rouku stone's beauty diminished during the day, its glitters dulled by the sunlight, making it as plain as any black rock." She then winked at him, conspiringly. "However, my son has added something special."

Yuuri perked up. "What is it?"

Instead of telling him, she rose to her feet. "You'll see," she responded, refusing his query. She patted his shoulder. "Get some rest, heika. Tomorrow will be a very long journey for you."

Yuuri nodded, absent-mindedly. His eyes never left the glass pendant, glittering under the silver moonlight.

**xxxXxxx**

In the end, it was decided that Conrad and Yozak would accompany Yuuri and Murata to rescue Wolfram. They would ride north-east to Callot, a human harbor where they will be taking a ship and set sail to the Dead Isle. It will be a day and a half long ride since Callot was quite further from the Mazoku capital.

Early that morning found the residents of Blood Pledge Castle standing in the courtyard, watching as Conrad and his men preparing for the long journey. He and Yozak opted to take only a small number of soldiers with them to avoid detection. It caused a little fuss when Gunter protested but in the end, six of Conrad's best men were given the task to protect the Maou.

"Well this is it," Yuuri said to the assembly before him. He and Murata were wearing their designated brown contacts, fake wigs and commoner clothes to hide their identities from any human enemy.

Gwendal stared hard at the small team, wishing that he could go along as well. But he knew that he was needed at the capital, in case Marcus or any of their enemies planned to use this moment of weakness to attack. He stepped forward, brushing Conrad's brown stallion. His eyes met his half-human brother. "Ride hard and fast, Conrad," he whispered. "Our little brother doesn't have the luxury of time."

Conrad nodded. He was determined not to let anything delayed them.

Anissina stepped forward next, handing Yuuri a vial of blue concoction. "This is the strongest wake-up potion Gunter, Gisela and myself could mix. There's nothing stronger than this. Hopefully, this will be enough to break the brat from the spell."

Yuuri accepted the vial and carefully slipping it inside his pocket, where he kept the blonde's gift. "Understood." Suddenly he was swept into a pair of large breasts. Holding his breath, Yuuri allowed Lady Celi to give him a bone-crushing hug. "Oh, heika be brave and save my little Wolfie, okay?" She released him, just as he was about to turn blue. Pushing his disheveled hair back, Yuuri straightened up his blue tunic. He then turned to the small figure standing next to Celi.

"Yuuri," Greta said, her lips quivering and her eyes were quickly overcoming with tears. But she allowed none of the tears to escape as she was swept into Yuuri's strong embrace.

"I'll bring him back, I promise you," the double-black whispered to her ears. "I'll bring everyone back safely and then we can have a big family picnic. How does that sound, hm?"

"You promise?" Greta asked, her voice sounded so tiny that it almost broke his heart.

Yuuri nodded. "I promise," he said, his voice raw with emotion. He released her and lifted his little finger. "Have I ever broken a promise?" he winked at her.

Greta wrapped her own pinkie around his. "Never," she answered, a little relieved. "Stay safe."

"You take care of yourself too," said Yuuri before turning around and walked towards where Conrad and the others were waiting. Once he was mounted on Ao, Yuuri's fingers felt for the glass pendant once more, drawing strength from it. 'Just you wait, Wolfram. I will save you. I will,' he thought to himself.

**xxxXxxx**

Those left behind watched the rescue team rode away until they were out of their sight. They watched in silence, holding each other's hands as if drawing strength and hope from each other.

"Greta!" Lady Celi called out when the little girl detached herself from her and started running outside the gates. Once there, the little princess stopped, panting. She watched the ten silhouettes disappeared into the horizon.

Calming her breath, Greta looked up to the skies above. "Whatever powers that protect me and blessed me with this wonderful life, please watch over them and bring back my fathers home safely," she prayed, her voice barely over a whisper.

A hand landed on her shoulder. "Greta." Lady Celi watched the girl in concern. But the little girl never return her gaze, instead she kept her eyes at the spot where she last seen her adopted father.

"I want to go to the temple," she suddenly declared, her voice even.

Lady Celi was startled. Then finally understanding the meaning behind her words, she knelt down and drew the small figure into her arms. "Yes, let's go there. Let's pray for their safe return."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Can anyone spot the fairytales reference in this chapter?


End file.
